communications

Don’t Ignore The Importance of Building Relationships With Your Donors

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

Why does making a donation often feel like a transaction? Nonprofit organizations get so caught up in the raising money part that they forget about building relationships with their donors.

Giving Tuesday is the worst example of this, with Year End a close second. Generally, it happens way too often.

Remember this – Building relationships is just as important as raising money. 

The concept of relationship fundraising has been around for a while, even though it’s not always implemented. Many nonprofits seem to focus too much on meeting their revenue goals, which of course is important.

That said, it’s hard to keep raising money if you don’t build good relationships with your donors. The two go together. Every single interaction with your donors needs to focus on building relationships. That includes fundraising appeals. It’s possible to raise money and build relationships at the same time.

Follow this formula – ask, thank, update, repeat. Thanking and updating should naturally evolve into building relationships, although that doesn’t always happen.

If your giving has gone down, you should have more success if you can move away from transactional fundraising and focus on building relationships. Here are some ways to do that.

Stop using transactional language

First, the word transaction should not appear anywhere in your fundraising. Sometimes I see the words “Transaction complete” after I make an online donation. That’s not giving me a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling at all. I made a gift, not a transaction.

Even more prevalent is the word receipt, which is often used instead of thank you. After a donor makes a gift they should feel appreciated. 

An email subject line is one of your first chances to connect with your donor. How would you feel if this is what you saw? 

“Your recurring donation has been processed.”

“Donation tax receipt”

“Your receipt from X Organization #2128-9222” (That’s the receipt number, as if I care about that.)

“Transaction Receipt from X Organization for $…”

This again emphasizes the transaction. Payment information should not be the lead of any type of thank you. Where are the words thank you?

It’s not easy to find good thank you email subject lines. Here are some that, at the very least, expressed generosity. 

“Thank you for supporting Malala Fund, Ann”

“Thank you for your generous donation to X Organization”

“Your generosity is greatly appreciated!” (Although they did use the passive voice.)

“Your monthly gift in action” 

The last subject line leads into an email message that emphasizes how the donor is helping that organization make a difference, which is a good example of building relationships.

Make a point to change your thank you email subject lines so they include these very important words – Thank You.

When organizations lead their fundraising appeals by saying “It’s our year-end appeal” or “It’s GivingTuesday,” they’re not connecting with their donors by concentrating on why donors give. 

Many donors don’t care that it’s your year-end appeal. They care about your cause and want to help. Instead, say something like – How you can help families in the community put food on the table. 

Make relationship building part of your fundraising campaigns

You need to build relationships before, during, and after each of your fundraising campaigns. Keep this in mind – Your Fundraising IS Your Relationship.

Before your next appeal, send your donors an update to let them know how they’re helping you make a difference. This is especially important if you do more than one fundraising campaign a year. You don’t want your donors to think the only time they hear from you is when you’re asking for money.

Segment your donors

One way to help ensure you’re focusing on relationships is to segment your donors and personalize your appeal letters and other types of donor communication. 

Don’t send the same appeal to everyone on your mailing list. What is your relationship with these individuals? Maybe they’ve given once or many times. Perhaps they’re event attendees, volunteers, e-newsletter subscribers, or friends of board members. Mention your relationship in your appeal letter. For example, thank a long-time donor for supporting you for the last five years.

Monthly donors get their own appeal letter. This doesn’t happen enough and it’s one of my biggest pet peeves. Build relationships with these committed donors. Recognize they’re monthly donors and either invite them to upgrade their gift or give an additional donation.

Let your donors know how much you appreciate them

Your focus on building relationships continues when you thank your donors. Many organizations do a poor job of this. Send a handwritten note or make a phone call, if you can.

Welcome your new donors. Let them know how much you appreciate this new relationship. If you don’t, it’s likely to be a short relationship.

Be sure to also shower your current donors with appreciation so you can keep your relationship going. Recognize the value of your long-time donors and do something special for people who have supported you for several years. 

Make sure your donors get a heartfelt thank you, not something that resembles a receipt.

Thanking donors is something you can do at any time of the year. I think one of the best ways to connect is by sending a handwritten card. These cards can be generated electronically, if it’s not feasible to write them. This will make more sense for large organizations. It makes a difference if you can connect in a more personal way.

Holiday cards are also a good way to reach out, but don’t put a donation envelope in one. You have other opportunities to make appeals. Make it 100% about showing appreciation.

You can send thank you cards at other times of the year, too. If money is tight, spread out your mailings over the year so each donor gets at least one thank you card.

Don’t miss out on opportunities to build relationships

There are many ways you can build relationships with your donors throughout the year. 

You can give donors other opportunities to connect, such as volunteering, participating in advocacy alerts, signing up for your email mailing list, filling out a short survey, and following you on social media. You could also offer tours of your organization (either in person or create a video tour).

Newsletters and impact reports that focus too much on the organization are the equivalent of being at a party where someone just talks about himself and you may as well not even be there. And you know how annoying that can be. If you do it well, a newsletter, impact report, or another form of an update can be a good relationship-building tool.

I’m amazed that after I attend an event, support someone in a walkathon, or give a memorial gift, most organizations don’t do a good job of building a relationship. I could be a potential long-time donor. Personally, I would never give a memorial gift or support someone in a charity walk if I didn’t believe in that organization’s cause. Don’t miss out on a potential opportunity to build longer-term relationships.

It takes time to build relationships, which is why you need to include donor engagement and stewardship as part of your fundraising strategy. Organizations with strong major giving and legacy programs see more success, but these initiatives don’t happen without good donor relationships.

Hold a relationship-building day

My main objection to giving days, such as GivingTuesday, is they focus so much on asking. What if we put all the time and energy we focus on giving days into a relationship-building day?

I’m not saying you can’t participate in giving days, but instead of the relentless begging, follow the formula above and build relationships before, during, and after your campaign.

Of course, you could choose not to participate in a giving day and have an all-out relationship-building day instead.

Build relationships all year round

It’s easier to stay focused on your donors when you’re sending an appeal or thank you, but this is just the beginning. Many organizations go on a communication hiatus at certain times of the year and that’s a huge mistake. Ideally, you should keep in touch with your donors every one to two weeks, once a month at the most.

Always stay focused on relationships. Good relationships with your donors will help you raise more money and keep your donors for a long time.

Photo by Ken Whytock

Stay In Touch With Your Donors By Creating a Communications Calendar

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

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

Your donors want to hear from you and don’t just want to be blasted with fundraising appeals. The good news is that better donor communication (thank yous and updates) can help you raise more money. This is especially important if you’ve fallen behind in your revenue goals. With all the uncertainty in our world right now, we’re probably looking at another tough fundraising year. Keep the ask, thank, report, repeat formula in mind.

Ideally, you should communicate with your donors at least once or twice a month throughout the year. I know that might sound impossible, but it will be much easier if you put together a communications calendar (also known as an editorial calendar or content calendar).

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

Some of you may already have a communications calendar, which is great. Be sure to update yours for 2026, if you haven’t already done that. For the rest of you, here are some suggestions to help you get started. Even though it will take a little time to put together, it will be worth it in the end because you’ll be able to do a better job of communicating with your donors.

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

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

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

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

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

Updates

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

Current events/News stories

At the beginning of 2020, most of us couldn’t predict the year we were about to have. There’s still a lot going on, especially here in the U.S.

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

Legislation

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

Time of year

Is there something going on during a particular month that’s pertinent to your organization? Perhaps it’s homelessness or mental health awareness month.

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

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

Fundraising and recruitment

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

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

Thank your donors

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

You could even go one step further and create a separate thank you calendar. I highly recommend that.

Events

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

Ongoing content

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

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

Put together a story bank to help you with this.

Don’t stop communicating with your donors

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

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

Use This 2026 Nonprofit Calendar to Plan Your Content Strategy

How to create and use a nonprofit editorial calendar

Editorial and Content Calendars

Why It’s Important to Welcome Your New Donors

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

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

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

You may have or will see an increase in donations because of funding cuts and the recent U.S. government shutdown, especially if you work with populations that have been impacted by this. Times are tough and many people are struggling. Even so, donors see the need and have been stepping up to help. If that’s the case for you, these are donors who feel passionate about your cause and you don’t want to lose them.

Unfortunately, many of your new donors won’t stick with you. The retention rate for first-time donors is around 20%. We can and must do better.

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

Start with a special thank you

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

Keep that in mind, especially for your new donors.

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

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

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

Create a welcome plan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Who are your new donors?

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

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

Make your current donors feel special, too

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

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

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

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

Keep it up throughout the year

It’s so important to communicate with your donors regularly. Plan on special mailings or emails specifically targeted to new donors. Remember to try to send something by mail if you can. A better use of your print and mailing budget is to send thank you notes instead of swag.

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

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

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

Toolkit: Build a Content Calendar for Nonprofit Campaigns

Ann Green Communications, donor engagement, fundraising, multichannel, planning, stories, website , , , , , ,

Use this toolkit to create a content calendar for your nonprofit’s campaign season, fostering stronger donor connections and enhancing your fundraising efforts.

By Anne Stefanyk

Alt Text: Concept image of a calendar, with a pin on the 30th of the month

When building a nonprofit campaign, planning your fundraising strategies is only half the battle. You also need a clear plan for getting the word out about your fundraising efforts, and that begins with a content calendar.

A strategic content calendar is the single best tool for shifting your pre-campaign planning efforts from chaos to control. Research indicates that 69% of the most successful marketers have a documented content strategy, compared to just 16% of the least successful marketers. A calendar unifies your communication into a consistent, powerful message that helps engage and retain your audience members.

This toolkit provides a practical, step-by-step framework for building a content calendar. We will focus on anchoring your strategy to your website, integrating all your channels, and using targeted storytelling to inspire action.

Step 1: Map out your campaign phases.

Before you plan any specific content, you must map out the emotional and tactical journey you want your supporters to take. To ensure your team is aligned, use a shared tool for collaboration. A spreadsheet, a simple document, or a project management tool like Asana works perfectly.

Begin by outlining the key phases of your campaign. Most fundraising campaigns have four distinct stages. Let’s use a hypothetical “Giving Day” campaign for a wildlife sanctuary raising funds for its veterinary hospital as our example.

  1. The Priming Phase (Building Awareness). This is your educational warm-up. The goal is to set the stage and demonstrate your funding need without making a hard ask just yet. For example, two weeks before the Giving Day, you could publish a “Day in the Life of Our Sanctuary Vet” blog post. This article should include compelling photos and storytelling to illustrate the complexity and cost of daily animal care, subtly highlighting why a fully funded wildlife hospital is so crucial.
  2. The Launch Phase (The Big Push). This is the official kick-off. Your content shifts from education to a clear, direct, and exciting call to action. All your channels should activate at once with a unified message. For example, at 8 a.m. on the Giving Day, you can send an “It’s Live!” email blast. Simultaneously, your website’s homepage changes to a Giving Day “hub” with a live-tracker, and your first social media posts announce the start of the 24-hour campaign.
  3. The Momentum Phase (Maintaining Energy). This is the long middle of the campaign, where you need to fight a dip in attention. Demonstrate progress made to donors and use social proof to encourage others to join in. For instance, at 3 p.m., you could post a short, celebratory video saying, “We just passed the 50% mark! Your gifts have already funded the purchase of a new X-ray sensor. Thank you! Can we get to 75% by dinner time?” This type of message shows real-time impact and creates a new mini goal.
  4. The Final Call Phase (Creating Urgency). This is your final, high-energy push to close the gap. Your messaging must be clear, direct, and time-sensitive to motivate supporters who have been waiting to make a donation. For example, at 9 p.m., you may send a “Final 3-Hour Countdown” email that clearly states: “We are $5,000 away from our goal. If you haven’t given yet, now is the time. Don’t wait—your gift before midnight will be a lifeline for our animals.”

Defining these core stages will give you the overarching structure you need to pepper in specific content types and messages throughout your campaign.

Step 2: Layer in content streams.

Your strategic content calendar should help you visualize how you can repurpose one piece of content across your entire ecosystem. This is the key to a robust multichannel strategy that reaches donors where they are.

Focus on your website content first. Your website is the one digital platform you own completely. It is the central hub where all action, donation, and deep engagement should happen.

Place your “pillar” pieces, like blog posts, video uploads, and testimonial drops, on the calendar. Then, build your email and social content around them.

Think of your website as the “hub” and your other channels as the “spokes.” For example, one long-form testimonial published on your blog (the hub) becomes the source material for many other pieces. It can become a quote graphic for Instagram, a “story of the week” feature in your email newsletter, and the emotional hook for a targeted social media ad.

For each phase, define the content needed for each channel. Create columns in your calendar for:

  • The date when the content should be published
  • The content topic or headline
  • The primary channel (e.g., blog, email, Facebook)
  • The task owner

For instance, during your momentum phase, you might have one team member post a “progress update” blog post by 2:45 p.m. Then, another staffer will have the green light to share that blog post’s key message, like a new animal photo or quote, across Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, at 3 p.m. sharp.

This step is where a comprehensive project management system will be your best friend. You can use it to automatically send email or text notifications when it’s time for each team member to complete their tasks, ensuring seamless communication throughout the campaign.

Step 3: Populate with your stories and segments.

Stories make your campaign feel more urgent, personal, and real to donors, especially when you personalize them to each individual’s interests. Review your donor segments and assign specific stories or messages to different email segments.

For example, in the Momentum phase, you might send Email A (featuring an impact story) to your list of brand-new donors, but Email B (featuring a financial breakdown of impact) to your major donor segment. Major donors will appreciate greater transparency into the inner workings of your campaign and its anticipated outcomes, while new supporters will benefit from learning more about the purpose of your fundraising.

Bloomerang Fundraising’s donor segmentation guide also recommends using donor segments to send donors messages on their favorite communication channels. For example, a supporter who prefers text messages is more likely to respond to a campaign text than an email. Your calendar helps you plan for this, sending the right story to the right person on the platform they choose.

Step 4: Review for gaps and accessibility.

Evaluate your calendar from a higher level to ensure you haven’t overlooked any key necessities. Ask yourself questions like: Are you posting too much on one channel and neglecting another? Is there a week with no website content? Are your calls to action clear?

This is also the final check to ensure all planned materials, especially website assets, are accessible. Accessibility is crucial to creating an inclusive nonprofit campaign that enables everyone to participate. Your mission is for everyone, and your campaign content should be, too.

Key accessibility elements to check for include:

  • Readable fonts
  • Alternative text for images
  • Video captions or transcripts
  • Clear website navigation
  • Hierarchical web page design
  • Keyboard navigability

Kanopi Studios’ nonprofit website design guide recommends using both automated and manual checks to ensure you don’t miss any accessibility issues. Automated tests use tools like Lighthouse or Axe to help identify accessibility issues. Manual testing involves someone engaging in user testing, often with the help of assistive technology like a keyboard or screen reader tool, to evaluate your site’s usability.

Step 5: Measure, adapt, and improve.

Your content calendar should be a living document, not a rigid set of rules. The launch of your campaign marks the beginning of your next discovery process, involving constant testing and iteration.

Use a combination of tools such as Google Analytics and your website builder to track key campaign metrics such as:

  • Website traffic
  • The time visitors spend on core web pages
  • Landing page conversion rates
  • Email click-through rates
  • Social media engagement (likes, comments, shares)

If one type of content clearly resonates with your audience, adjust your calendar to capitalize on that success. For instance, if your “Meet the Animals” testimonial series is leading to major donation conversions, center your social media and website content around that to maximize your outreach efforts.

This continuous improvement model ensures that your strategy gets smarter with every campaign you run. Additionally, you can apply this approach to major, multi-year campaigns, such as a capital campaign. These longer fundraising initiatives offer an incredible opportunity to test your messaging and organization efforts, taking you from a novice planner to an expert communicator over the course of the campaign.

Build on what works, and discard what doesn’t—that’s the key to long-term fundraising communications success.

A well-planned content calendar does more than just organize your posts. It frees your team from the daily panic of “what do we post?” and empowers you to focus on what truly matters: building connections.

With this mindset, you can transform your nonprofit website from a simple digital front door into a dynamic hub for promoting both your current campaigns and your mission as a whole.

Anne Stefanyk is the Founder and CEO of Kanopi Studios, a leading digital agency that designs and builds websites for mission-driven organizations. With deep expertise in strategy, user experience, and open-source technologies, Anne has guided Kanopi to become a trusted partner to nonprofits, higher education, and healthcare institutions.

Since launching Kanopi in 2010, Anne has fostered a people-first culture and a strong commitment to accessible, sustainable web practices. Her team creates inclusive digital experiences that help organizations make meaningful impact.

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Why You Need to Share Stories With Your Donors

Ann Green Communications, donor engagement, photos, planning, stories, video, writing , , , , , ,

Stories come in many forms. You can tell a story with words, pictures, and videos. I like written stories (preferably on paper), but others are drawn to videos. Some people might not have the time or energy to look at anything but a photo or infographic.

Your nonprofit organization needs to share stories using all these forms. Sharing stories will help you connect with your donors and improve your engagement.

Donors want to hear your stories

I bet you’re not using stories as much as you should. That’s a mistake because people respond better to stories than a bunch of facts and statistics. Stories bring the work you do to life by using everyday language to create a scene.

You may be reluctant to use stories because it’s more work for your organization, but that shouldn’t stop you. Make time to come up with some engaging stories.

Your stories need to be relevant

Update your stories at least once a year. They need to take into account the everchanging current situations. There’s a lot going on. How is that impacting your clients/community? Many people are struggling right now.

Create a culture of storytelling

If you create a storytelling culture in your organization, you can make storytelling the norm instead of the exception.

Work with your program staff to create stories that will help you connect with your donors. Everyone needs to understand how important this is. Share stories at staff meetings and/or set up regular meetings with program staff to gather stories. 

When you put together a story, ask.

  • Why is this important?
  • Who is affected?
  • Why would your donors be interested in this story?
  • Are you using clear, everyday language (no jargon) to make sure your donors understand your story?
  • How are your donors helping you make a difference or How can your donors help you make a difference?
  • Client or program recipient stories are best. Remember, donors want to hear how they’re helping you make a difference for your clients/community.

Another way to find stories is to put a Share Your Story form on your website. This could be a good way to get some current, relevant stories.

Your stories aren’t about your organization

Keep in mind that your stories aren’t about your organization. Your story is about a need or problem that affects the people/community you work with, and how your donors can/did help with that.

Make your stories personal 

Tell a story of one (person or family). Use people’s names to make your stories more personal. I realize you might run into confidentiality issues, but you can change names to protect someone’s privacy. You could also do a composite story, but don’t make up anything.

Always be respectful to your subject(s). You may want to set up some ethical guidelines. 

Use different stories for different types of communication

Create a story bank to help you organize all your stories. You want to use stories as much as possible. Use them in your appeals, thank you letters, newsletters, updates, impact reports, website, blog, and other types of social media. You can also create a story calendar to help you consistently share stories throughout the year.

While you can come up with some core stories, they’ll be slightly different depending on the type of communication. 

In a fundraising appeal (all appeals should start with a story), you want to highlight a problem or need. Let’s say you run a food pantry. Here you can tell a story about Melanie, a working single mother with three kids who’s having trouble feeding her family because of rising food costs and cuts in benefits. Sometimes she has to choose between buying groceries and paying the heating bill. 

In your thank you letter, you can let your donor know that because of their generous gift, Melanie can get healthy food for her family at the Eastside Community Food Pantry.

Then, in your newsletter, impact report, or update, you can tell a success story that because of your generous donors, Melanie doesn’t have to worry so much about how she’ll be able to feed her family.

Tell a story in an instant with an engaging photo

You’ve probably heard the phrase a picture is worth a 1000 words. Cliche, yes, but it’s true.

You can capture your donors’ attention in an instant with an engaging photo. That doesn’t mean one of your executive director receiving an award. Use photos of your programs in action or something else that’s engaging.

Print newsletters and impact reports tend to be dominated by long-winded text. Most of your donors won’t want to read the whole thing. But if you share some engaging photos, they can get a quick glance at the impact of their gift without having to plow through a bunch of tedious text. You can share a little more information with a good photo caption.

Photos can enhance your print communication by breaking up the narrative. You can also complement your written stories with photos. If you’re worried about mailing costs, postcards and other short pieces with photos are the way to go. You could even do a Postcard Impact Report. 

If you use social media, you need to communicate several times a week. As your donors scroll through an endless number of posts, an engaging photo can stand out and get their attention.

Use photos everywhere – fundraising appeals, thank you letters/cards, newsletters, impact reports, updates, your website, and social media. Create a photo bank to help you with this.

It’s fine to use the same photos in different channels. It can help with your brand identity. Be sure to use high-quality pictures. Also, make sure your photos match your messages. If you’re writing a fundraising appeal about children who aren’t getting enough to eat every day, don’t use a picture of happy kids.

Work with your program staff to get photos and videos (more on videos below). Confidentiality issues may come up and you’ll need to get permission from your subjects or their guardians.

Highlight your work with a video

Videos are a popular way to connect. They can be used to show your programs in action, share an interview, give a behind-the-scenes look at your organization, or my favorite – thanking your donors. 

I would definitely recommend creating a personalized thank you video. If that’s not possible, you can make a general one.

Make your videos short and high quality. Short is key. If your video is more than a couple of minutes, your donors may not bother to watch it. 

You can use videos on your website, in an email message, on social media, and at an event.

Spiff up your statistics by using infographics

A typical impact report is loaded with statistics. You want to share these, along with your accomplishments, but you don’t want to overwhelm your donors with a lot of text.

Why not use an infographic in your impact report instead of including the usual laundry list of statistics and accomplishments? 

Infographics are also great in other types of communication, such as newsletters and updates. Good visuals will enhance both your print and electronic communication.

Connect with your donors and keep them engaged by using all types of stories.

Make it Easier for Your Nonprofit and Your Donors by Keeping Things Simple

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

Over the years, I’ve realized the importance of keeping things simple. This is even more important now during this time of chaos and uncertainty. I’m sure you’re experiencing those both professionally and personally. I often find pleasure in simple things such as taking a walk, reading (I’ve found the Thursday Murder Club series to be a nice escape right now), and doing yoga.

Keeping it simple doesn’t have to mean a bare-bones existence. There’s a Swedish term called lagom meaning everything in moderation or not too much, not too little. Or think of Goldilocks and choose what’s “just right.” This can apply to how much information we take in about everything that’s happening in the world. You want enough information to know what’s going on, but not too much that it’s overwhelming. Also, it’s not good for your brain to multitask. 

Keeping things simple is important for your nonprofit organization, too. I know this is a tough time, especially if you’ve experienced funding cuts and your revenue is down. Maybe you’re short-staffed and struggling to get things done.

Even so, you need to continue to raise money and communicate regularly with your donors, while not taking on too much. Donors are also navigating these uncertain situations, but they want to help if they can and they want to hear from you. What they don’t want is a lot of complex content and too much information.

Here are a few ways to simplify your donor communication without making it too difficult for you.

Keep it simple by planning ahead

If communicating regularly with your donors sounds overwhelming, plan ahead by using a communications calendar. You should be in touch every one to two weeks, if possible. Otherwise, aim for once a month. Fill your calendar with different ways to do that and update it as needed. A good rule of thumb is – ask, thank, report, repeat. And, as I mention below, you can keep it simple with shorter communication.

Keep it simple by sticking to one call to action

Your communication needs to be clear. Before you send an email message or letter, ask what is your intention?  Is it to ask for a donation, say thank you, or send an update?

Stick to one call to action. Suppose you send a message that includes requests for a donation, volunteers, and for people to contact their legislators. It’s likely your donors won’t respond to all of your requests and may not respond to any of them. Send separate messages for each request. 

You’ll also have better results if you send your messages to the right audience. For example, if you’re looking for volunteers for an event, reach out to past volunteers and ask them to bring a friend, as opposed to sending a message to everyone on your mailing list. This way you won’t be subjecting people to messages that may not be relevant to them.

In your fundraising appeals, don’t bury your ask. You can start with a story, followed by a clear, prominent ask. Recognize your reader. Thank previous donors and invite potential donors to be a part of your family of donors.

Your thank you letter or email should thank the donor. Sounds simple, right? Make them feel good about giving to your organization. Welcome new donors and welcome back returning donors. You don’t need a lot of wordy text explaining what your organization does.

Keep your messages simple, yet sincere, and include a clear call to action.

Keep it simple with shorter, easy-to-read messages

Plain and simple if your communication is too long, most people won’t read it. 

Limit print communication, such as newsletters and impact reports, to four pages or less. Your email messages should be just a few paragraphs. On the other hand, you don’t want to be terse or say too little.

“I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” Mark Twain

Be sure your communication is easy to read and scan. Use short paragraphs, especially for electronic communication, and include lots of white space. Don’t clutter up the page. Use at least a 12-point font with dark type on a light background – basic black on white is best.

Keep it simple by using conversational language

I find it annoying when I read an appeal letter or newsletter article that sounds like a Ph.D. thesis. Write at a sixth to eighth-grade level. That’s what most major newspapers do. This is not dumbing down. You’re smartening up by ensuring your donors will understand you. There are programs out there that can help you determine the reading level of your content. Plus, you can raise more money if your messages are easy to read.

Keep out jargon and other confusing language. Instead of saying something like – We’re helping underserved communities who are experiencing food insecurity, say  – Thanks to donors like you, we can serve more families at the Northside Community Food Pantry. 

We’re seeing real people being affected by real problems. Don’t diminish this with jargon and other vague language.

Use the active voice and there’s no need to get fancy by using a lot of SAT vocabulary words. Again, you want your donors to understand you.

Keep it simple by creating a clutter-free website

Your website is still a place where people will go to get information. Make sure it’s clear, clutter-free, and easy to read and navigate. Don’t forget about short paragraphs and lots of white space.

One of the most important parts of your website is your donation page. It needs to be easy to use and collect enough information without overwhelming your donors. If it’s too cumbersome, they may give up and leave. What’s known as form abandonment can happen on other web pages, too.

If it’s a branded donation page (e.g. not a third-party site), make sure it’s consistent with your messaging and look. Don’t go too minimalistic, though. Include a short description of how a donor’s gift will help you make a difference, as well as an engaging photo.

Make it easier for your nonprofit and your donors by keeping things simple.

How Is Your Nonprofit Doing This Year, and How You Can Make Improvements If You’re Behind In Your Goals

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

It’s hard to believe we’re halfway through 2025. It’s been a tumultuous year so far, especially in the U.S. The midpoint of the year is 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.

Your fundraising revenue may be down. You might have lost some federal funding, and cuts in federal funding can trickle down to the state and local levels.

Yes, we’re in an uncertain economy, 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. Always have a plan.

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, although your circumstances could change. 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 aren’t bringing in the revenue you need, focus more on individual giving. Many nonprofits raise the most money from individual giving. Summer is usually a less busy time for nonprofits. Take advantage of that with these 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. It’s also one of the few types of fundraising that’s growing right now.

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.

Small gifts of $5 or $10 a month can make a difference. You could also get larger gifts of $10 or $20 a month. Again, this can be more appealing than giving a bigger sum all at once.

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’re one of your most committed donor groups. 

Having a strong monthly giving program is going to be a big help if you’re worried about meeting your fundraising goals.

Get in touch with your lapsed donors

This could be a good time to reach out to donors who haven’t given for a year or two. There are many reasons for that. Maybe they can’t afford to give right now. Maybe you’re doing a poor job with your donor communication. Maybe they were busy and forgot. Send them an engaging, personal appeal saying how much you’ve appreciated their support, state your need, and ask them to give a gift.

Don’t assume donors aren’t going to give right now.  Although if you hear from a donor who says they can’t give at this time, respect that. Most likely, your need is growing, and remember, many donors will help if they can. 

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

Since summer is usually a slower time for fundraising, it’s a good time to show some donor appreciation and plan for fall. Don’t disappear over the summer.

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. Remember the ask, thank, report, repeat formula, with a focus on thanking and reporting. 

Make improvements to your donor communication

Many nonprofits can do a better job of communicating with their donors. Are you one of them?  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. Do a marketing audit to see where you’re falling short.

It’s not too late, yet

If you’re falling behind in your goals, you still have time to do better, but you need to make an effort.

Be sure to keep evaluating your progress for the rest of the year. Remember, even if you’re doing okay now, circumstances can change. I would recommend monitoring 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.

Why Your Audience Needs to Understand You

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

One of the most important aspects of communication (written and verbal) is to make sure your audience understands you. There are many reasons this doesn’t happen. In nonprofit communication, organizations will overcomplicate things or use jargon and other language donors don’t understand. Some people like to show off their large vocabulary or only think about things from their perspective.

The problem is that if your audience doesn’t understand you, you can’t connect with them. You may have trouble convincing them to take action, such as making a donation.

Remember, you are not your audience and you need to keep them in mind when you communicate with them. Here’s what you need to do to make sure your audience understands you.

Write at a sixth to eighth-grade level

This is not dumbing down. You’re smartening up so you can ensure your donors will understand you.

I find it annoying if I come across a word I don’t understand and have to look it up. I have a pretty good vocabulary but wonder why the writer didn’t use a more understandable word. Some people might not bother to look something up and then won’t know what you’re trying to convey.

Maybe we’re going back to our school days when we were encouraged to use all those big vocabulary words we studied or write lengthy, complex essays.

A readability tool, such as Flesch Kincaid, can help you with this.

Go easy on the jargon

One of the biggest culprits here is using jargon. Over the last several years, we’ve seen many examples of real problems affecting real people. We’ve also seen more authenticity. Yet, some nonprofit organizations still use jargon in their donor communication.

They may be using the same boring templates they’ve used for years or they’re so used to some of these terms that they don’t realize these words fall flat with their donors. I think people use jargon because it’s insider language that makes them feel like they’re “in the know” in their professional community. It’s easy to slip into jargon mode in your work environment. But the danger comes when jargon creeps outside of your insular world and into your donor communication.

Sometimes we get lazy and use jargon when we can’t think of anything fresh and original. Instead, you see appeal letters, thank you letters, newsletter articles, and impact reports laced with cringeworthy terms such as food insecurity, at-risk youth, and underserved communities. While your donors may know what some of these terms mean, they’re vague, impersonal, and can come across as demeaning.

How to break free from your jargon

You may know you need to freshen up some of your messages but aren’t sure how to start. 

Sometimes you need to give a little more information. Let’s look at these problem terms and what you can say instead. You may use some of these terms internally and they might be in your mission statement, but please try to limit them when you communicate with your donors.

  • Food insecurity The USDA defines it as “a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.” Wow, that’s a mouthful! I’ve never liked the term food insecurity because it’s so impersonal. We hear this term often because it continues to be a problem and is likely to get worse. Let’s go a step further and put it in human terms by describing a situation where a single mother has to choose between buying groceries and paying the heating bill.
  • At-risk means there’s a possibility something bad will happen. Instead of just saying at-risk students or youth, tell a story or give specific examples of something bad that could happen or has happened. Our tutoring program works with high school students who are more likely to fail their classes, be held back, and drop out of school. Remote learning didn’t work for many of the students in our community and they’re still struggling to catch up. 
  • Underserved means not receiving adequate help or services. Instead of saying we work with underserved communities, explain what types of services these residents don’t receive. Maybe it’s healthcare, affordable housing, decent preschool education, or all of the above. Tell a story or give a specific example. Tina has to take two buses to see a doctor for her diabetes because there isn’t a good healthcare facility in her community. She often feels depleted after these trips, so sometimes she skips her appointments.

Another way to help you transition from jargon to understandable language is to stop using it in your work environment. That means at staff meetings and in interoffice written communication. Maybe you go so far as to rewrite your mission statement to make it more conversational. And telling staff and board members to recite your mission statement as an elevator pitch is a bad idea unless you can make it conversational.

It’s important for you to take time to break free from your jargon to ensure your donors will understand you. Write as if you’re having a conversation with a friend.

Tell a story

This is why stories are so important. You can get beyond that vague, impersonal language and jargon to let your donors see firsthand how they’re helping you make a difference for your clients/community.

Visualize your reader 

Donor or audience personas can be useful on many levels. How much do you know about your donors? The average age of a donor is 64. That’s something to take into account. So is what drew them to your organization.

I always like to use this analogy. Imagine you’re at a family gathering and you’re explaining what your organization does to your 75-year-old Aunt Shirley, or maybe it’s Uncle Ted. Does she look confused and uninterested when you use terms like underserved and at-risk, or does he perk up and want you to tell him more when you mention you’ve been able to help homeless families move out of shelters and into their own homes?

You can go one step further and ask a friend or family member (maybe Aunt Shirley) to look at some of your messages. Remember, what’s clear to you may not be clear to others.

Always take into account who’s reading your fundraising letter or other type of communication. Most likely, your donors don’t have a medical or social services background. They also don’t have a lot of time to look up something they don’t understand. 

What they do want is a personal connection and to be able to understand you.

Connect With Your Donors by Sending Them a Postcard

Ann Green Communications, direct mail, donor engagement, donor relations, donor-centered, gratitude, impact report , , , , , ,

Some of you may remember when people sent postcards when they went on vacation, especially back in the days before email and social media. Now people are more likely to post pictures on social media, sometimes posting more than you want to see. 

We don’t use postal mail as much anymore and many nonprofits are a part of that group. This is a mistake. Direct mail is more personal and your donors are more likely to see something they receive in the mail, as opposed to any type of electronic message you send. Plus, people never get nearly as much mail as they do email and social media messages. Electronic communication is good, but communicating by mail is better.

I’m a big fan of communicating by mail and believe nonprofits should communicate by mail more often than they do. Now you might say – “But mail is too expensive. So is printing something. We have a small staff and barely have time to get anything done.” I understand all that. I know direct mail can be expensive and putting together a mailing takes more time, but it’s an investment that can help you raise more money.

One way to mail that shouldn’t cost too much is to use postcards. First, you can probably do them in house. Also, if you do it well, it’s a quick, easy way to capture your donor’s attention right away. Creating a postcard will be less expensive than something like a four-page newsletter or impact report. Donors have a lot going on and don’t want to be bombarded with too much information. 

Direct mail is a proven way to communicate and engage. I encourage you to give postcards a try. Landscaping companies, realtors, and political candidates all use postcards, and so should you. With summer coming up (yea!), it’s a great way to stay in touch, and maybe even brighten your donor’s day. Here are a few ways you can engage with your donors by using postcards.

Say thank you

Never miss an opportunity to thank your donors and a quick, easy way to show gratitude is with a postcard.

Create a postcard with a thank you photo, image, or word cloud. The best option is to create a card with enough space so you can include a handwritten note. If that’s not possible, then create one with a pre-printed message.

Let your donors know how their gifts are helping you make a difference for your clients/community and that you can’t do your work without them. 

Send a thank you postcard between one of your fundraising campaigns, so your donors know you’re thinking about them. Another idea is to send one as a warm-up before a campaign.

Ideally, you should be thanking your donors at least once a month. Many organizations don’t mail any type of thank you card, so you’ll stand out if you do.

Share an update

A postcard can be a good way to share an update with your donors. You could make an infographic to give them a quick glance at some of your progress. Some organizations use oversized postcards for their impact/annual report. 

Some infographics just show a bunch of numbers, and numbers don’t mean that much without knowing why something is important. For example, instead of just listing the number of people visiting your food pantry, let your donors know you’re seeing higher numbers because families are having trouble making ends meet since groceries are so expensive.

Other ways to use postcards

You could send a postcard wishing your donors a Happy Thanksgiving or Happy Holidays. Another option is a donor’s anniversary or their birthday, if you keep track of that.

You can also use a postcard for fundraising. While not as effective as a direct mail package (letter, reply envelope, etc.), it can be used as a heads-up for a campaign or a reminder. You could include a QR code and a website link so your donors can easily make a gift or get more information.

Postcards are good for a Save the Date for an event. You could also use one for an informal event.

What to keep in mind

Your postcard needs to capture your donor’s attention right away. It needs to be visual and not include a lot of text (but not just numbers). The text you do include needs to be engaging, conversational, and donor-centered. Examples could include Thank You, Because of you, or Look what you helped us do. Don’t be afraid to get a little creative by using shaped printing. 

Yes, communicating by mail costs more, but it can pay off if you create something more personal that your donors will see. Whether you’re saying thank you, sharing an update, or a combination of both, connect with your donors by sending them a postcard.

How to Make Your Nonprofit Messages Stand Out In a World Filled With Information

Ann Green Communications, direct mail, donor engagement, donor-centered, email, planning, writing , , , , ,

Our world is chock full of information. 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 not only the volume of options, it’s also the content. And in our current climate of crisis and uncertainty, it’s information overload on steroids.

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 this deluge of information, they might miss your messages. 

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

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. If you ask someone to make a donation, volunteer, and contact their legislators in the same message, they may not do any of that.

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 an enormous amount of email from a variety of different sources. Political organizations and candidates here in the U.S. send a ton of email messages, especially now, and it won’t let up anytime soon. Some of the PACs send emails that are so obnoxious they give fundraising a bad name. I tend to ignore a lot of those messages and then end up missing something important. Plan a strategy to help you break through the noise. 

Plus, the average email open rate is around 20%. And, social media is often just a lot of a lot.  

You can see how easy it is 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 need 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 move into their own homes. or THANK YOU!

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 Learn how you helped Jason learn to read or You just did something amazing today! Putting someone’s first name in the subject line can also help with open rates.

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 about 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 to 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 you’ll be disappointed.

When you send email, make sure people know it’s coming from your organization. In the from field, put DoGood Nonprofit or Susan (Davis), 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. Also, don’t use info@dogoodnonprofit or even worse, no-reply@dogoodnonprofit. That just screams impersonal.

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. 

Don’t let this current climate of uncertainty stop you from fundraising and engaging with your donors. They want to hear from you. With all the negativity and depressing news, be a friendly factor.

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 in a world filled with information.