communications

Do Annual Reports Make Sense?

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

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The answer is, it depends. Annual reports take a lot of time to produce and there’s no guarantee your donor will read it. But if you can produce one that’s filled with gratitude and shows your donors how they’re helping you make a difference, then yes an annual report makes sense.

You don’t have to do an annual report, but you do need to share accomplishments with your donors.  Some organizations send short progress reports a couple of times a year or monthly e-updates.

If you do decide you want to produce an annual report, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Your annual report is for your donors

It’s not for your board and you don’t have to do it the same way you’ve always done it. That means it’s time to re-think the massive, boring booklet.

You may want to consider different types of annual reports for different donor groups. You could send an oversized postcard with photos and infographics or a two-page report to most of your donors. Your grant and corporate funders might want more detail, but not 20 pages. Aim for no more than four pages.

Show your donors how much you appreciate them

Donors want to feel good about giving to your nonprofit. Think of this as a gratitude report.

Focus on thanking your donors for their role in helping you make a difference. Get  inspired by some of these examples from Agents of Good. Annual/Gratitude Reports 

How are you making a difference?

Too many annual reports are just boring lists, such as number of clients served, and tend to be one big bragfest.  You need to share specific accomplishments that show how you are making a difference.

Something like this – Thanks to you, 85% of the students in our tutoring program are reading at their grade level or above and now have a better chance of graduating from high school on time.

How You Can Share Accomplishments Without Bragging

Tell a story

Donors love to hear about the people they’re helping.  You can tell a story with words, a photo, or video. Share a success story. For example, Cara, a third grader at Riverside Elementary School, used to get butterflies in her stomach if she had to read aloud in class.  The words didn’t come easy.  Now after weekly tutoring sessions with Alicia, one of our volunteer tutors, her reading is much better and she doesn’t dread reading time.

Make it visual

Your donors are busy and don’t have a lot of time to read your report.  Engage them with some great photos, which can tell a story in an instant. Choose photos of people participating in an activity, such as Alicia helping Cara with her reading.

Use colorful charts or infographics to highlight your financials. This is a great way to keep it simple and easy to understand.  Sprinkle in quotes and short testimonials to help break up any text.

Be sure your report is readable.  Use at least a 12-point font and black type on a white background.

Write as if you’re having conversation with friend

Most of your donors don’t use words like underserved or at-risk, and neither should you.  Use everyday language such as – With your help, we found affordable housing for over 100 homeless families. Now they no longer have to live in a shelter, motel, or their cars and have a place to call home.

Write in the second person and use a warm, friendly tone.  Of course, use you much more than we.

Annual reports do make sense if you can create one your donors will want to read.

Click here for more information on annual reports.

How to Plan a Multi-Channel Fundraising Campaign

Ann Green Communications, fundraising, planning , , , ,

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We have many ways to reach out to our donors – by mail, email, social media, and phone calls. But your fundraising campaign will be more effective if you use a combination of these.

Some donors may respond to your direct mail piece but donate online. Others will see your email message but prefer to send a check. Some donors will respond to the first appeal while others need a few reminders. This is why you need a multi-channel campaign.

BEFORE YOU START

Clean up your mailing lists

If you haven’t already done so, clean up and organize your mailing lists.

Make it easy to donate online

You must have a donation page that’s engaging and easy to use. Test all links in email messages and social media posts. The last thing you want is a donor contacting you about a broken link or have to hunt around on your website for a link to your donation page.

When you’re ready to launch your campaign, include a blurb on your homepage that your appeal is underway. Make sure your donate button is in a prominent place.

Consistency is key

Your messages need to be consistent across channels. Use the same story and call to action in direct mail, email, and on your website.

Everything you send needs to look like it’s coming from the same organization.

Which channels do your donors use?

Don’t spend a lot of time on channels your donors aren’t using. Figure out in advance where you want to focus your efforts.

SAMPLE SCHEDULE AND STRATEGY

Come up with a schedule of when the appeals will go out. I’ve created a sample schedule below. Of course, you can adjust the timeframe as needed.

October 21

Give your supporters a heads up by email and social media. Let them know your year-end appeal is underway and they should receive a letter from you soon. Encourage them to donate online right now. This means your donation page needs to be in great shape.

Week of October 26

Mail your appeal letter.

Week of November 2

Start sending follow-up reminders via email and social media. If possible, don’t send reminders to people who have already donated. Otherwise, be sure to thank your recent donors. You can even phrase your reminders as more of a thank you or an update.

Thanks so much to all of you who donated to our year-end appeal. We’re almost halfway to our goal. If you haven’t donated yet, please help us out today by visiting our website (include a link to your donation page) or sending us a check (provide address). 

Week of November 9

Send out another reminder. Your donors are busy and may need a gentle prompt.  Keep it positive. Don’t make your donors feel bad about not donating yet.

Week of November 16

Start making reminder calls. If time is an issue, you could just call people who have donated before. That’s probably most effective.

Week of November 23

Send a Happy Thanksgiving message along with a friendly reminder. Share a success story in your appeal.

Week of November 30

December 1 is #GivingTuesday so you could tie that into your reminder.

The rest of December and beyond

Keep sending reminders throughout December. It’s tricky because you want to get your message across without being annoying.  Be sure to keep sending your newsletter and other updates. You don’t want the only messages your donors receive to be fundraising appeals.

The end of December is the busiest time of the fundraising season.  Network for Good recommends sending an email reminder on December 23, 29 or 30, and 31. This is especially relevant if your fiscal year ends on December 31 or your donor wants to give before the end of the calendar year.

Look to see who hasn’t contributed yet. Concentrate on people who are most likely to donate, such as past donors.  You may need to send another mailing to donors who don’t use electronic communication. Also, keep track of how many donors come through each channel.

We live in a multi-channel world. Take time to plan your strategy to ensure a successful year-end campaign.

Here’s a great resource to help you with your multi-channel fundraising.

Multi-Channel Fundraising Campaign Worksheet

Image by Daniel Iverson

Something’s Missing

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

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As the year-end giving season approaches, you may notice more activity from nonprofits in your mailbox and email inbox.

Take notice. You can learn a lot about what do to and what not to do when you communicate with donors.  Unfortunately, I see too many instances where organizations can do better.  It seems like something’s missing.

After I recently opened a one-page communication from an organization, my reactions were:

Why are you sending me this?

I wasn’t sure of the purpose of the piece. The organization may have been trying to connect before they sent out their year-end appeal, which is great. That’s something you need to do.  They share some accomplishments, so maybe it was sort of a mini annual report.  It wasn’t obvious.

It wasn’t very personal either, and I think a short, warm introduction would have helped.  They could have used the back side if they needed more space.

I’m a donor. Make me feel special.

The only example of donor-centered language was “Your Support of X Organization Makes Our Work Possible!”

They mention the number of donors who supported their work, but there’s no explicit thank you. That’s a must.

Why is what you do important?

Many nonprofits fall short in this area.  The piece included lots of numbers, but not much detail of why what they’re sharing is important. They talk about making a difference, yet there aren’t any specific examples of how they’re doing that.

They state that “more than 50 households have signed up at a new food pantry site.” Why is that important?  What would happen if these families didn’t have access to this food pantry?  Would they go to bed hungry, or have to choose between buying groceries and paying the heating bill?

What does that mean? 

They describe what they do as “X organization addresses critical needs and emerging trends to create an equitable [community}.”  Huh?

Then I received a fundraising email from a different organization, which gave me an empty feeling because:

They never connected during the year.

The only time I supported this organization was when I attended one of their events last March.  They never sent any type of follow up.  This is a huge pet peeve of mine.  If you hold an event, thank your donors, let them know how their support makes a difference and stay in touch throughout the year.

It wasn’t personal.

There was no salutation, and they didn’t thank me for my past support. The appeal lists what a donation will fund, but doesn’t indicate why that’s important.

There’s too much emphasis on the end of the fiscal year.

The email opened with “It’s the end of our fiscal year, please consider donating by midnight September 30 ….” It felt more like Land’s End telling me this is my last chance to get 30% off.

I know your fiscal year is important to you, but it may not mean much to your donors.  What your donors care about is how they can help you make a difference.

As you work on your year-end appeals and other communication, ask:

  • What is the purpose of this letter/email?  Is it to ask for a donation?  Is it to share an update?  Is that clear?
  • Is this donor-centered?
  • Are you showing gratitude, and thanking donors for their past gifts?
  • Is this warm and personal/conversational?
  • Are we letting our donors know why what we do is important?

Don’t let your donors come away thinking something’s missing.

Photo by Nicholas Noyes

Roll Out the Red Carpet for Your New Donors

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

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Did you know that approximately 70% of first-time donors don’t make a second gift? This has to stop. We can do better a better job of keeping our donors. Here’s how.

Do something special for your current first-time donors

Before your next big appeal, make a point to send your first-time donors a short thank you email, postcard, or note card in which you shower them with appreciation and give a specific example of how their support is helping you make difference.

Of course, you should continue to stay connected to all your supporters by showing gratitude and sharing accomplishments.

Create a welcome plan

Your first step after you receive a donation is to thank your donors within 48 hours, preferably with a handwritten note or phone call. Don’t send a boring, generic thank you letter. Take time to create an awesome thank you. Don’t Treat Thanking Your Donors as an Afterthought

Research by fundraising expert Penelope Burk states that first-time donors who receive a thank you call are more likely to donate again and give at a higher level the next year. Get a group of board members and other enthusiastic volunteers to call your new donors, or send them a handwritten thank you card.

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

A week or two after the initial thank you, send out a welcome package. You can do this by mail, email, or a combination of both.

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

Your welcome package can include a warm introductory message and a brochure or fact sheet. You could also direct people to your website for more information about your organization.

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

I don’t recommend sending unsolicited swag. You could offer your new donors a gift and they can let you know if they want to receive it, but it’s not necessary.

What donors really want from you is to know how they’re helping you make a difference.

New Donor Welcome Kits | Your Next Gift Strategy

How Welcoming is Your Welcome Package?

5 Ways to Wow with Welcome Packs

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 or phone call. If not, send a short survey with your welcome package and ask, “How did you hear about us?”

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.

Keep spreading the love

Keep reaching out to your donors – at least once or twice a month. Show appreciation and update them on your success.

Think of other ways to do something special for your new donors, such as offering tours of your facility or holding an open house.

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

Let’s keep working on bringing up those retention rates.  In my next post, I’ll share some ideas to help you keep your longer-term donors.

How to Create an A+ Appeal Letter

Ann Green appeal letters, donor relations, fundraising, writing , , , , ,

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Wow, September is already here. Can you believe how fast the summer went?

If you’re doing a year-end appeal, it’s time to start getting ready for it. One of the most important components is your letter.

You want to create a letter that captures your donors’ attention right away and convinces them to donate. Sounds simple, but it’s not. Here are some ways to ensure an A+ appeal letter.

Make a good first impression

First, you need to get your donor to open your letter. Give some thought to the outer envelope. You could include a teaser such as Learn how you can help Lynn find her own home.

You want to be both personal and professional. If hand addressing the envelopes isn’t feasible, make sure your mailing labels look clean, are error-free, and aren’t crooked. Use stamps if you can.

Create an inviting piece of mail.

Open with a story

Start your letter with a compelling story. Focus on a person or family and not your organization. Your donors want to hear about the people they’re helping.  For example, you could tell a story about Lynn and her struggle to find affordable housing.

Include a photo

Include an engaging color photo in your letter or on your pledge form. Photos can tell a story in an instant.

Here’s more information on creating stories and photos.

Why You Need to Tell Your Stories

Get Noticed in an Instant With a Visual Story

Don’t bury your ask

Ask for a donation at the beginning of the next paragraph (after the story). Also, ask your current donors if they can give a little more this year.

Phrase your ask like this – We’re so grateful for your previous gift of $50. Could you help us out a little more this time with a gift of $75?

If you’ve been doing a good job of engaging your donors throughout the year, they shouldn’t mind if you ask for a larger gift. BTW, including the amount of your donor’s previous gift is helpful since people often don’t remember what they gave before.

Donors come first

Don’t make your letter all about your organization. Show how you’re making a difference and how much you appreciate your donor’s role in that. Make your donor feel good about supporting your nonprofit.

Share your success

Highlight a few accomplishments from the year and show how you plan to continue your good work with your donor’s help. Remember to stay donor-centered! How You Can Share Accomplishments Without Bragging

Give it the personal touch

Send different letters to people who have donated before and thank them for supporting you. You can also tailor letters to other groups such as lapsed donors, people on your mailing list who haven’t donated yet, event attendees, volunteers, and friends of board members.

Make every effort to do this, especially for donors who have given before. Kick it up a notch for your past donors, so they’ll continue to support you.

Your letter should also have a personal salutation and not be addressed to Dear Friend.

Easy peasy

Include a return envelope with amounts to check off or an envelope and a pledge form. Show what each amount will fund. Here’s an example.

In addition, include a link to a user-friendly donation page on your website. Even if donors receive a letter, they may prefer to donate online.

Offer a monthly or recurring giving option

Monthly gifts can generate more revenue. Encourage your donors to give $10 or $20 a month. If they do, you’re getting gifts over $100 each!

It must be easy to read (or scan)

Use short paragraphs and bulleted lists, along with bold or color for key words, but keep it tasteful. Make it easy to read and scan. Use a simple font and 14-point type.

It’s fine to go over a page, especially if you’re breaking up the text with a photo and short paragraphs, but I wouldn’t go over four pages. You can also add a quote or short testimonial. These can be powerful and it helps break up the narrative.

Have a conversation with a friend

Use a conversational tone and keep out jargon like at-risk youth and underserved communities. Be specific and use everyday language. Refer to your reader as you and use you a lot more than we. How to Perform the “You” Test for Donor-Centered Communications – Do You Pass?

Too many editors spoil the appeal

Generally, the more people you involve in writing your letter, the worse it becomes. Your best writer should craft it and then turn it over to your best editor. Whoever signs the letter (your Executive Director?) can take a quick look at it, but don’t go overboard.

Besides weakening the content, involving more people takes extra time.

All’s well that ends well

Repeat your ask at the end of the letter. Don’t forget to say please and thank you.

Add a PS

Give some thought to this. People often gravitate to the PS as they scan the letter. Here you could emphasize monthly giving or ask if their company provides matching gifts.

Get your pens out

Include a short handwritten note. Make it relevant to each donor, such as thanking her for a previous donation or letting him know it was nice to see him at a recent event.

Hand sign the letters in blue ink.

Are you ready?

Send out an A+ appeal letter that will capture your donors’ attention and bring you the donations you need. Good luck!

Need some more inspiration? Read on.

8 Reasons Why I Didn’t Respond to Your Fundraising Letter

[INFOGRAPHIC] How To Write An Annual Fundraising Appeal Letter

Photo courtesy of http://www.photos-public-domain.com

How You Can Share Accomplishments Without Bragging

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

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This post is included in the August 2015  Nonprofit Blog Carnival: Sharing Progress and Communicating Accomplishments 

We all know someone who talks too much about himself or brags about all the wonderful things she’s done.  Once this person gets going, it’s enough to make you want to flee the room.  Imagine your donors having the same reaction when all your communications sound like one big bragfest. You don’t want to be that guy

Of course, you want to share your accomplishments, and it’s possible do it without bragging. Here’s how.

Be donor-centered

You don’t need to tell your donors your organization is great. They wouldn’t have given you money if they didn’t think highly of you.

Let your donors know they’re great because they helped you make a difference for the people or community you serve. Give specific examples.  Because of donors like you, Rachel can sleep in her own bed tonight.

All your communications should be donor or audience-centered.  One way to ensure this is to use the word you more than we or us. Can Your Organization Pass the Donor-Centered Test?

Share a story

Telling a story is a great way to share accomplishments. Whether it’s in the first or third person, you can give a personal account of how you’re making a difference. Remember to focus on the people you serve and keep your organization in the background.

Why You Need to Tell Your Stories

Photos and videos featuring the people you serve is another good way to share accomplishments.

Focus on why

Instead of the usual laundry list you see in annual reports, such as we served over X number of students in our tutoring program, focus on why that’s important, too.  Students in our tutoring program are now reading at their grade level and have a better chance of graduating from high school on time.

Show don’t tell

Too many newsletters and annual reports ramble on about how an organization is number one in such and such, or there was a crisis and Y organization came in to solve it.

Go back to stories and examples.  You can’t ignore your organization all together, but instead of saying we were the first organization to come in and help the earthquake victims, say Thanks to you, residents of the earthquake-ravaged town now have access to clean drinking water and medical care.  How you made a difference is more important than being first or best.

Current donors want to see the results of their gift. Potential donors may be more interested in your reputation, but they also want to see how their donation will make a difference.

A quick checklist

Before you share accomplishments in an appeal letter, thank you letter, newsletter article, social media update, annual report, etc. Ask these questions:

Is this donor/audience-centered?

Are we focusing on the people/community we serve?

Are we showing results?

Are we saying why this important?

Are we bragging too much about ourselves?

Is Your Website in Good Shape?

Ann Green Communications, fundraising, marketing, website, writing , , , , ,

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As summer winds down and you start getting ready for year-end fundraising, you need to make sure your website is in good shape. This means it’s up-to-date, easy to read and navigate, welcoming, and audience-centered.

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

Home page

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

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

Donation page

More people donate online now.  Make sure your donation page doesn’t make someone want to tear her hair out.

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

The rest of your pages

Be sure to take a look at the rest of your web pages,too.

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

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

Your goal is to have a website that’s welcoming and audience-centered for everyone from first-time visitors to long-time donors.

Read on for more information to help you get your website in good shape.

12 Things For A Great Nonprofit Website

10 Tips to Improve Your Nonprofit Website

Trends in Great Non-Profit Website Design

7 Tips for Creating an Awesome Nonprofit Website

Your Year-End Appeal Checklist

Ann Green appeal letters, Communications, fundraising, planning , , ,

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This summer is flying by and September will be here before you know it. Fall is a busy time, especially if you’re doing a year-end appeal.

Many nonprofits rely on their year-end appeal for a good portion of their revenue.  Even though your mind may be focused on going to the beach and eating ice cream, you want to start planning your year-end appeal now.  Here’s a checklist to help you get started. Of course you can use this any time you run a fundraising campaign.

How much money do you need to raise?

You may have already set a goal in your 2015 fundraising plan (at least I hope you did) and perhaps you need to revise that goal.  If you haven’t set a goal, determine how much money you need to raise before you start your campaign.

Do you have a plan?

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

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

Are your mailing lists in good shape?

Make sure your postal and email 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. Also, segment your lists – current donors, lapsed donors, event attendees, etc.

Do you have a good story and photo to share?

Find a good story for your year-end appeal. You’ll want some engaging photos for your letter and donation page, too.  Quotes from clients will also enhance your appeal.

Why You Need to Tell Your Stories

Get Noticed in an Instant With a Visual Story

How did your donors help you make a difference?

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

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

Do you have enough letterhead, envelopes, and stamps?

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

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

Stamps are more personal, so you might want get 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.  Highlight your year-end appeal on your home page and include a prominent Donate Now button.

You could set up a special page for your year-end appeal.

The Top 10 Most Effective Donation Form Optimizations You Can Make

Set Up a Customized Donation Page

While you are at it, check your website for out-of-date information and broken links.

Does Your Website Need a Tune Up?

How does a donation help the people you serve?

Create a set of giving levels and let your donors know how their gift will help. Here’s an example.

Do you have an incentive to entice donors to give a larger gift?

Instead of premiums, see if you can find a major donor who will match any upgrades.  I know of an organization that also uses this as an incentive to get new donors.

Boost Your Fundraising Results With a Match From a Major Donor

Do you offer a monthly or recurring giving option?

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

How will you thank your donors?

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

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

Don’t Treat Thanking Your Donors as an Afterthought

How are you showing the love?

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

How are you preparing for your year-end appeal?

Image by Backdoor Survival

Connection Not Interruption

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

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I’m a big fan of marketing guru Seth Godin. His blog is filled with pearls of wisdom. I highly recommend subscribing to it for his daily gems. One that caught my attention recently is “connection not interruption.”

When you’re communicating with donors here’s how to ensure you’re connecting and not interrupting.

Be donor-centered

Some people may think of fundraising appeals as an interruption, but you can connect with your donors in an appeal if you focus on them. Thank your donors for their past support, show them how their gift will make a difference for the people you serve, and let them know you couldn’t do what you do without them.

Connect because you want to, not because you have to

Just because you have a monthly e-newsletter, doesn’t mean you’re connecting with donors, especially if it’s filled with boring articles about how wonderful your organization is. Don’t get caught in a situation where the beginning of the month is coming up and you quickly cobble something together just to get your newsletter out. Because if you do, it will show.

Having a communication calendar to help you plan is great, but you also need content that connects. Stay Connected Throughout the Year by Using a Communications Calendar 

Be a welcome visitor

People receive so much useless information, especially by email and social media.  Even our direct mail is mostly junk mail. Share information your donors will be interested in, such as stories that show them how they’re helping you make a difference.

Donors don’t have much time to slog through a bunch of long-winded text. Share short, easy to read messages. Even better, connect in an instant with a great photo or image.

Write as if you’re having a conversation with a friend and don’t confuse donors with terms like food system problems.

Use inviting subject lines such as Learn how you helped Janet find her own home. Make your direct mail piece look inviting by hand addressing the envelope or putting a teaser on the envelope like the one above.

How much is too much

Most likely you aren’t communicating enough. I recommend direct mail (not just fundraising appeals) at least four times a year, monthly e-newsletters, weekly short email updates, and social media at least once a day. But that may not work for your organization.

Another one of my favorite Seth Godin quotes – “Is more always better? Sometimes, only better is better.”

If it’s impossible to send email every week, send it every other week, but make it shine.

Get donors involved

Include a short survey or poll in your e-newsletter asking donors to vote on their favorite article or choose their favorite picture for a campaign or your website. I know of an organization that asks supporters to vote on their favorite holiday card designs.

Make it easy and fun – nothing time consuming. There are lots of different ways to connect besides updates.  If you asked donors to contact their legislators, thank them for getting involved and let them know the results. Invite people to be part of a conversation on social media.

5 Super Solid Ways To Engage Your Supporters Online (PLUS 28 Affordable Tools to Help You Do It)

Are you really connecting

Don’t just send stuff – make sure you’re really connecting.  Check your email click through rates and social media stats.  If you’re not getting much of a response, find out why. Maybe the surveys aren’t such a great idea.  Maybe your donors don’t spend a lot of time on Twitter.

Figure out how you can connect with your donors, and not just interrupt.

Photo by Wes Peck

Don’t Treat Thanking Your Donors as an Afterthought

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

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This post is included in the July Nonprofit Blog Carnival 18 End-of-Year Fundraising Tips

Summer is in full swing, but fall is just around the corner.  Many of you may be starting to work on your year-end appeal, but have you given any thought to how you will thank your donors?

Thanking your donors is just as important as your appeal.  Here’s how can give your donors a great thank you experience.

Make a good first impression with your thank you landing page

Many people donate online now, and your landing page is your first chance to say thank you.  It should be personal and not have all the charm of a Home Depot receipt.

Open with Thank you, Jean! or You’re amazing!  Include an engaging photo or video and a short, easy to understand description of how the donation will help the people you serve.  Put all the tax deductable information after your message or in the automatically generated thank you email.

6 Fresh Ideas for Your Nonprofit’s “Thank You” Landing Page

If you use a third-party giving site, you might be able to customize the landing page. If not, follow up with a personal thank you email message within 48 hours.

Robots don’t make good writers

Set up an automatic email to go out after someone donates online. This will let your donor know that you received her donation and it didn’t get lost in cyberspace.

Be sure it’s warm and personal.  Just because your thank you email is automatically generated, doesn’t mean it needs to sound like it was written by a robot.

You’ve only just begun

I’m a firm believer that even if someone donates online he should receive a thank you card, letter, or phone call within 48 hours.

Stand out with a handwritten note

You can make your donor’s day by sending a handwritten thank you note. Personal mail is so rare, and your card will stand out.

Now is a good time to create some thank you cards.  One idea is to use a picture of a client or group of clients holding a thank you sign. 58742420_459d268c5e_z If cost is an issue, you could get the cards donated.

Writing cards will take more time, so you’ll need to plan ahead. Craft a sample note; recruit staff, board members, volunteers, and clients to help write cards; and hold thank you writing parties immediately after you send an appeal.

Phone calls make a difference, too

You can do the same thing with thank you phone calls.  Create a sample script, recruit people to make calls, and hold thankathons after your appeal.

Create an awesome letter

If it’s impossible to write cards or make phone calls, then send an awesome letter.

This means something personal and conversational.  Leave out vague jargon such as at-risk or underserved. Recognize past gifts and upgrades, and give a specific example of how the donation will make a difference. Something like this.

Dear David,

Thanks to your generous donation of $75,we can provide a family with a week’s worth of groceries. 

Thank you for being a longtime donor!

Here are some more examples.

5 Thank You Letters Donors Will Love

How to Craft a Killer Thank You Letter

Creating More Donor-Centered Thank You Letters: One Nonprofit’s Success

Make your new donors feel welcome

Approximately 70% of first-time donors don’t give a second gift. We need to change that.

Start thinking about creating a welcome package for your new donors. A week or so after you mail a thank you note/letter, send something in the mail or by email, if money is tight.

New Donor Welcome Kits | Your Next Gift Strategy

How Welcoming is Your Welcome Package?

It’s all about relationships

Keep in touch now and throughout the fall, so you stay on your donors’ radar. Then continue to thank your donors all-year round.

Why You Need a Thank You Plan

As you you prepare for your year-end appeal, please don’t treat thanking your donors as an afterthought.

Image by Woodley Wonderworks