donor retenion

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

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

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

By Doug Scott

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

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

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

1. Film for each stage of the donor journey

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

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

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

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

2. Create a compelling story

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

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

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

3. Keep it short and sweet. 

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

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

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

4. Include a call to action

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

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

5. Share it widely 

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

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

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

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

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

Pay Attention to Your Donor Retention

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

Donor retention continues to be a problem for nonprofit organizations. Many organizations spend a lot of time and energy on acquiring donors, concentrating more on volume, and don’t seem to be concerned that they’re churning through different donors year after year.

Acquiring new donors is more expensive than keeping the ones you already have, so it’s important for you to keep track of your retention rate. 

There are many reasons donors don’t give again. Some you can’t control, but many you can. Maybe you’re losing donors because you’re either not communicating enough or communicating poorly. Fortunately, this is something you can fix, but you need to give it your full attention.

Pay attention to your donor relationships

One of the most important components of fundraising is building relationships with your donors. 

Donor relations should be easier than raising money, and it can be fun, too. Make it a priority, as well as something you do throughout the year.

Follow the ask, thank, report formula and give more attention to thanking and reporting. Donors are not ATM’s. They were drawn to your organization because they felt a connection to your work. They want to feel appreciated and hear how they’re helping you make a difference for your clients/community.

If you don’t pay attention to building relationships, your donors are less likely to give again.

Pay attention to your first-time donors

The retention rate for first-time donors is around 20%. Obviously, we can do better.

If you can get your first-time donors to give again, it’s much more likely they’ll keep giving. That second donation is known as the golden donation. This is why it’s important to engage with your new donors. 

Create a welcome plan that includes a series of messages for new donors. Recruit board members to make thank you phone calls. This is a proven strategy that results in donors giving again.

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

But don’t stop there, you also want to acknowledge your longer-term donors and make them feel special.

Pay attention to your lapsed donors

A lapsed donor is someone who hasn’t donated for at least a year. Make a plan to reach out to some of these donors and invite them to give again. Also, ask why they haven’t given. Maybe they forgot. Maybe they can’t afford to give right now. Maybe they were never thanked.

If a donor can’t afford to give right now, stay engaged with them. Maybe they’ll give again in the future. Also, some donors may choose to cut back on their giving. Don’t let them choose between an organization that does a great job of thanking them and sending engaging updates and the one that just sends a bunch of generic appeals.

Donor engagement is so important. A study by Donor Voice shows that donors are more likely to give again when they feel appreciated and the organization lets them know the impact of their gifts.

Pay attention to growing your monthly giving program

I’m a big proponent of monthly giving. Monthly donors have a much higher retention rate. Getting more monthly donors is one way to raise your overall retention rate.

Reach out to your single gift donors who have given at least twice and ask them to join your family of monthly donors. You can also invite donors to give monthly in your welcome package.

Pay attention to your donor communication 

Do you barrage donors with appeals and then go silent for a while? 

Ideally, you want to reach out somewhere between once a week and once a month. And not just with appeals. You need to thank donors and share updates. Remember the ask, thank, report formula. This is crucial for good donor retention. 

Try to reach out by mail at least a few times a year. It’s more personal and your donors are more likely to see your messages. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. A handwritten thank you card or a postcard infographic can be a quick, but effective, way to engage. 

Putting together a communications calendar will help you with this. 

You also want to focus on quality. Just because you send thank you letters and newsletters, doesn’t mean you’re actually engaging with your donors. Write a heartfelt, personal thank you and create a newsletter and other updates with content they’ll be interested in.

Pay attention to your donor data

Something else that will help you with donor retention is to invest in a good CRM/database. This will let you segment donors and personalize their communication. Then you can send targeted communication to new donors, long-time donors, lapsed donors, potential donors, etc. Invest in the best database you can afford. It should pay off.

You may think that paying attention to your donor retention sounds like a lot of work. Well, so is finding new donors.

Bloomerang has a lot of great information on donor retention and keep reading for more ways to pay attention to your donor retention.

Focus on Donor Retention This Year

Donor Retention Strategies: Get Donors to Give Again

Engage, request, repeat: The proven formula for retaining donors

Image via One Way Stock

Making Connections With Your Monthly Donors

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, donor retention, donor-centered, monthly donors , , , ,

Monthly giving on the rise. If you haven’t capitalized on this, what are you waiting for? This post won’t focus too much on starting or growing a monthly/recurring giving program, although if you’re interested in that, here’s more information.

10 Quick Tips to Create a Great Monthly Giving Program

I want to focus on making connections with the monthly donors you already have.

We’re edging into summer, and while this is a slower fundraising season, it’s a good time to connect with your donors, whether they’re brand new or longtime supporters.

Make a plan

Create a plan for your monthly donor communication. Although I’m emphasizing summer, you need to communicate with your monthly donors (and all donors) throughout the year. I like to say because these donors support you every month, you should reciprocate by communicating with them at least once a month.

You can incorporate this into your communications calendar. Fill it with ways to show gratitude and share updates. You can use different channels. Here are some ideas to get started.

Send something by mail

How often do you get something personal in the mail? Not often, right? And when you do, it stands out.

Take some time this summer to create a postcard thank you and/or update or send a handwritten note. Your donors will really appreciate it.

Create a video

Videos are a great way to connect and they’re not that hard to create. If you can personalize it, all the better. Otherwise, you can create a general one that thanks your monthly donors.

5 Thank You Video Examples to Inspire Your Nonprofit

You can also create a video that gives a behind-the-scenes look at your organization or a virtual tour. 

Spruce up those automatic thank you emails

Those automatic thank you emails you may have set up don’t count as part of your monthly donor connection plan. It’s fine to create these, but you don’t have to. While these monthly acknowledgments are helpful, they’re usually uninspiring.

Spruce them up a little and change the content every few months. Use this as an opportunity to share some updates.

Here’s one that could use some work – Thank You for Your Recurring Donation. You have helped us continue our mission in a meaningful way. 

Talk about vague. A specific example of how a donor helped would improve this. Many of these acknowledgments are just receipts and a receipt is not a thank you.

Here’s a  better one. 

Thank you for donating to Malala Fund!

More than 130 million girls around the world are out of school today. Malala Fund believes that girls are the best investment in the future peace and prosperity of our world. Your gift supports our work to see every girl learn and lead without fear. 

Follow Malala Fund on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and blog for updates on our fight for girls’ education.

With gratitude, 

Malala Fund

Besides thanking their donors, they also offer other ways to engage.

Get noticed with an enticing subject line

Most likely you’ll communicate by email, which has its pros and cons. It’s easier and less expensive than a postal mailing, but since people get an enormous amount of email, they might miss your message.

One way to get noticed is to use an enticing subject line. Here’s one I like from Pet Partners – Your monthly gift in action 

It goes on to tell a story about a therapy dog who visits with soldiers before and after their deployments.

Here’s another good one, although it wasn’t specifically for monthly donors –  I found a baby bird! What should I do?

This definitely captures your attention and makes you want to read more. 

Keep your donors engaged with good content

Congratulations, your donor opened your email message. You want to keep them engaged. The email I mentioned above gave you information about what to do if you find a baby bird, along with a link to a “handy chart.”

Get personal

Be sure to address your donors by name. I would also recommend separate communication for new donors and longer-term donors. 

Welcome new monthly donors. You can go a step further with different messages for brand new donors and single gift donors who have upgraded to monthly. Be sure to give special attention to longer-term donors. The average donor retention rate for monthly donors is 90% and you don’t want that to go down.

You can give shout outs in your newsletter and social media, but those won’t be as personal. Some organizations include a cover letter or note for their monthly donors in their newsletters. You could also create separate newsletters for monthly donors.

The key is to stay in touch and keep making connections.  The post below will give you more ideas. Maybe you can think of others. And you don’t have to come with 12 different ones. It’s okay to repeat them every few months.

Practical, Creative Ideas to Thank Monthly Donors

Don’t ignore your valuable, monthly donors. Keep making those important connections.

Let Your Monthly Donors Know They Matter

Ann Green donor relations, donor retention, fundraising, monthly donors, thank you letters , , , ,

49721980232_404e8b4a08_wI write about monthly donors a lot because it’s an important part of nonprofit fundraising.

Monthly donations are more important than ever now. If you already have monthly donors, or any type of recurring donor, you’ve been receiving a steady stream of revenue as we continue to navigate through this economic downtown.

You may have had events planned this spring that won’t bring in the money you had hoped for. But your monthly donations should keep coming in. If you’ve been fundraising during the COVID-19 outbreak, which you should be, you may be seeing some additional revenue. Keep it up.

Of course, your monthly donors, and all donors, are so much more than the money they give. They matter and they need to know that.

Check in with your monthly donors

If you’ve been silent the last couple of months, your first communication with your monthly donors needs to be a check-in. Ask how they’re doing. Let them know how much you appreciate their support and give specific examples of how their continued support is helping the people/community you serve right now.

Make a request for an additional gift or upgrade

Don’t send your monthly donors a generic fundraising appeal. Recognize them as monthly donors and thank them for that. Ask for an additional gift or upgrade. An additional one-time gift may be more feasible, but it never hurts to ask for an upgrade. 

Keep in mind your appeal needs to be clear, specific, and relevant to the current situation.

Do a great job of thanking your monthly donors

Once you receive a donation, your monthly donors get an extra special thank you. Thank them specifically for their additional gift or upgrade. If they’re new donors or current single gift donors who have become monthly donors, welcome them to your family of monthly donors.

If you’re one of the organizations that send thank you emails to your monthly donors each month, could you please make them less generic by addressing how your donors’ gifts are helping right now?

Promote monthly giving

When you’re fundraising, which you know you should be doing, put monthly giving front and center. Mention it in your appeal and make it a prominent part of your donation page.

If donors are worried about their financial situation right now, giving $5.00 or $10.00 a month may be more doable.

It will help you as well. On average, monthly donors give more. Besides being able to raise more money and have a steady stream of revenue, the retention rate for monthly donors is an impressive 90%. That’s significantly higher than other retention rates.

Monthly giving is a win-win for your nonprofit organization. 

Stay in touch with your monthly donors

Send updates to your monthly donors letting them know how their gifts are helping right now. I received an email from an organization with the subject line – Ann, look what you’ve done!  

The message opened with  – The stories below showcase how your invaluable monthly support is being put to action, responding to hunger on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. Each story included the ever so important, because of your monthly donations or because of your monthly support.

Try to stay in touch with your donors every week or two. It can and should be something relatively short. I’ve been recommending shorter, more frequent communication over the past few weeks.

You can do this! Keeping it short will make it easier.

What happens if monthly donors stop giving

There’s been some talk lately of donors discontinuing their monthly gifts. If that happens, reach out to them by phone or email and ask why. If they’re concerned about their financial situation, let them know you understand and hope they’ll be able to support you again in the future. Thank them for supporting you in the past and stay in touch with engaging updates.

4 Tips for Avoiding Monthly Donor Churn During COVID-19 (and Beyond)

If you find out donors stopped supporting you because of poor communication or they don’t feel you’re making enough of an impact, that’s something you can change.

While some monthly donors might be discontinuing their gifts, others are stepping up and giving additional donations. It will be different for every organization so pay attention to what going on with your monthly donors.

Good News About Monthly Donors…

Pay attention to expiring credit cards

Something else you want to monitor is expiring credit cards. If you haven’t already done this, set up a system where you can flag any credit cards that are going to expire in the next month or two. Don’t rely on your donors to keep track of this, especially now.

Email or call any donors whose credit cards are in danger of expiring. Of course, thank them for being a monthly donor, and include a donation link and/or give a phone number where they can update their credit card information. You could also encourage donors to give via an electronic funds transfer from their bank account instead. Then neither you nor your donors need to worry about credit cards expiring.

Your nonprofit may struggle for a while so you don’t want to miss out on these donations.

Your monthly donors made a commitment to you with their continuous support. Make the same commitment to them by letting them know they matter.

 

Make Your New Donors Feel Welcome

Ann Green donor relations, donor retention, donor-centered, planning, thank you letters , , , ,

2504910532_2315cd5597_zAs your year-end donations come in, you may notice you have some new donors. Don’t jump for joy yet, the likelihood these donors will stick with you continues to drop. 

You’ve focused a lot of time and energy on acquiring your new donors. Now you need to work on keeping them for a long time.

Start with a special thank you

By now you should know the importance of thanking your donors as soon as possible and doing a good job of thanking them.

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 for a thankathon.

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

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.

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. 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.

The simple secret to keeping new donors that most nonprofits forget

Are We Sure An Automated Email Welcome Series For New Donors Is A Good Idea?

How to Welcome New Donors and Keep Them Engaged

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.

Make your current donors feel special, too

While I’ve been focusing on new donors in this post, retention rates for current donors are also declining. The biggest hurdle is getting from the first to the second gift, but don’t rest easy after that.

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

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

Keep it up

You should also know you need to communicate with your donors regularly. Plan on special mailings or emails specifically targeted to new donors. Try to send something by mail if you can. It’s more personal and your donors are more likely to see it. 

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

Of course, don’t ignore your other donors. Keep reaching out – at least once or twice a month. Show appreciation and update them on your success.

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.

 

How Will You Welcome Your New Donors?

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, donor retention, donor-centered, fundraising , , , ,

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One of your year-end fundraising goals may be to get new donors. That’s fine, but a better goal is to keep these donors. The retention rate for new donors is a dismal 23%. Put simply, over ¾’s of your new donors won’t donate again.

There are many reason donors don’t give a second gift – some you can control, some you can’t. One of the biggest reasons is poor or nonexistent donor communication. This is easy to fix, and if you put some time and effort into it, you can rise above other organizations who seem to like to ignore their donors.

Show some #donorlove by putting together a welcome plan for your new donors.

Start off with an extra special thank you

Don’t send your new donors that tired old, generic thank you letter that doesn’t acknowledge that they’re new donors. You have to do more. Take Thanking Your Donors to the Next Level

Research by fundraising expert Penelope Burk says 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 together a group of board members, staff (especially your executive director), and volunteers to call your new donors or send them a handwritten thank you card.

If you can’t make phone calls or send a handwritten card, send a thank you letter that specifically recognizes that someone is a new donor. You could also add a handwritten note to a thank you letter welcoming your new donor.

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

Next, send a welcome package

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.

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.

Send separate welcome packages to one-time donors and monthly donors. You could invite new one-time donors to become monthly donors. For monthly donors, send different messages to brand new donors and existing donors who’ve become monthly donors.

How to Retain First-Time Donors With Your Email Welcome Series

Why welcoming new donors is so important

How to Welcome New Donors and Keep Them Engaged

Who are your new donors?

Get to know your new donors better. Include a short survey with your welcome package to find out how they heard about you, what issues are important to them, and if they prefer print or electronic communication. 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.

Give your donors the gift of appreciation and impact

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. You want donors who care about your work, not getting a free tote bag.

Instead of spending your resources securing premiums, invest in creating thank you cards or making a welcome video.

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

This is a year-round effort

Don’t let the welcome package be the last time your donors hear from you until your next appeal. Use a communications calendar to help you plan to stay in touch throughout the year.

The biggest hurdle you’ll face in donor giving is getting a second gift. Once donors make a second gift, they’re more likely to keep giving, although not always. Making your new donors feel welcome and staying in touch throughout the year will help you keep your donors for a long time.

Here’s more information on the importance of treating new donors well.

How to Get First Time Donors to Give Again

3 Ways to Make a Lasting Impression with First-Time Donors

Why You Need a Good Donor Database

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

14390202154_de5010e80c_mWhat type of donor database do you have, or do you even have one at all? If you’re using Excel instead of a database because it’s free, stop doing that. A spreadsheet is not a database.

Your Worst Fundraising Enemy

A good database won’t be free, but there are affordable options for small organizations.

Donation Management Software

You don’t want to limit yourself by having a database that can only hold a certain number of records or can only be used on one computer because you don’t want to pay for additional licenses.

I’m not an expert on databases, but I do know how important it is to invest in a good one.

A good database can help you raise more money

Although you’ll have to spend a little upfront, a good database will help you raise more money. You can segment your donors by the amount they give and politely ask them to give a little more in your next appeal – $35 or $50 instead of $25.

A good database can help you with retention, which will save you money since it costs less to keep donors than to acquire new ones. You can segment your mailing lists by current donors, monthly donors, lapsed donors, event attendees, etc. Donors like it when you recognize them for who they are. A personalized appeal letter will make a huge difference.

An organization that I support recently sent an appeal for a special initiative. Instead of sending a generic appeal, they specifically thanked me for being a generous donor and for my most recent gift before asking me to consider an additional gift this year. They couldn’t have done that without using a database that can segment donors.

Segmenting your donors is so important. You can welcome new donors and thank donors for their previous support. You can also send targeted mailings to lapsed donors to try to woo them back. You may be able to raise a little more money by reaching out to your lapsed donors.

Don’t cut corners when it comes to your donor database. You can’t afford to do that.

Why Your Donor Database Is Your Nonprofit’s Greatest Asset

Take good care of your donor data

Having a good database is the first step. The best database in the world won’t do you much good if you don’t take good care of your donor data.

Many nonprofits don’t pay enough attention to their donor data and leave data entry as a last minute to-do item for volunteers.

Don’t wait until right before your next mailing to clean up your donor data. I know it’s tedious, but have someone who’s familiar with your donors (your development director?) go through your mailing lists to see if you need to make any additions, changes, and deletions.

You can have volunteers do your data entry, but they need to be meticulous. No donor wants to see her name misspelled, be addressed as Mrs. when she prefers Ms., or receive three mailings because you have duplicate records. It will also save you money if you’re not sending unnecessary mail.

It may not seem like a big deal, but you don’t want to annoy your donors. Paying more attention to your data entry shows your donors you care.

Take care of any address changes as soon as you get them. You can also run your donor list through the National Change of Address database. It may cost some money to do this, but it’s worth it if you come out with pristine data.

Your donor database is an important tool. You need a good one and it needs to be up-to-date and filled with accurate information about your donors. It’s well worth the investment.

 

How to Do Better in 2018

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, donor retention, donor-centered, fundraising, planning, thank you letters , , , , ,

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Happy New Year! I hope you had a good holiday. I just returned from my family’s annual trip to Florida. It’s quite a contrast from the frigid, wintery weather we’re having in Boston.

I also hope 2017 was a good year for your organization, and 2018 will be even better. If things didn’t go so well last year, here are a few ways to help you do better.

Evaluate and plan

Take a look back at 2017 to see what worked and what didn’t in your fundraising and communications. Incorporate what you’ve learned into your 2018 plans.

If you haven’t made fundraising and communications plans yet, do that now! Don’t go too far into the New Year without plans in place. Be sure to include donor engagement and donor retention in your fundraising plan (see the first link below for more information). Also, make sure you evaluate your progress at least once a quarter.

Nonprofit Fundraising Plan: 6 Must-Do Steps For Success

COMMUNICATION PLAN TEMPLATE

How to Integrate Your Nonprofit Fundraising Plan With Your Marketing Plan

5 FUNDRAISING SUCCESS METRICS TO START TRACKING

Figure out your retention rate

As you’re doing your year-end evaluation, figure out your donor retention rate.

A Guide to Donor Retention

If it’s low, it’s something you can fix, usually with better communication. It’s easier and less expensive to keep your current donors than to find new ones, so make retention a priority.

Why you should care about donor retention

One Thing Most Nonprofits Stink at (Donor Retention) and How You Can Change It

Get in touch with your lapsed donors

If you fell short of your year-end fundraising goal, one way to raise extra revenue is to get in touch with donors who have given in the last two years, but not this past year. Call them or send a personalized note. Let them know you miss them and want them back.

They may not have given to your year-end campaign for a variety of reasons including being too busy or not wanting to spend too much in December. The New Year could be the perfect time to reach out.

We Want You Back! A Simple Strategy for Reactivating Lapsed Donors

Start or enhance your monthly giving program

Monthly or recurring giving is also an excellent way to raise more money and boost your retention rate as well. If you don’t have a monthly giving program, start one this year. If you have one, but people aren’t taking advantage of it, work on promoting it more. Invite current donors to become monthly donors and make it a prominent option on your donation page and pledge form.

Making the Most of Monthly Giving

Do a better job of thanking your donors

I hope you thanked your donors after your year-end appeal and I hope you didn’t send one of those boring, generic letters. If you never sent a thank you letter, do that now!

Either way, the New Year is a great time to thank your donors. You want to show gratitude at least once a month. Wish your donors a Happy New Year, thank them again, and share a success story. You can do this by email or social media.

I haven’t been impressed with the thank yous I received after I made my year-end donations. You can stand out if you make a resolution to do a better job of thanking your donors this year.

Thank You 101

Stay in touch throughout the year

Your donors want to hear how they’re helping you make a difference. Don’t let them down.

It will be a whole lot easier to stay in touch with your donors if you use a communications (aka editorial) calendar. When you do communicate, remember to be donor-centered and focus on building relationships.

Stay in Touch Throughout the Year by Using a Communications Calendar

Here’s wishing you a successful 2018!

Make a Smart Investment

Ann Green Communications, database, donor relations, donor retention, donor-centered, fundraising , , , , ,

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Many nonprofits, especially small ones, are working with limited resources (money, staff, time). I know how hard that is and your default mode may be to say we can’t afford to do this.  

Be careful. What are you saying you can’t afford to do? It may be something you should be doing.

Here are a couple of areas you may be neglecting that I believe you can’t afford not to invest in. You’ll need to spend some money up front, but it will pay off in the long run.

Invest in a good database

If you’re using Excel instead of a database because it’s free, stop doing that. A spreadsheet is not a database. Your Worst Fundraising Enemy

A good database won’t be free, but there are affordable options for small organizations. Compare Non-Profit Software  You don’t want to limit yourself by choosing a database that can only hold a certain number of records or can only be used on one computer because you don’t want to pay for additional licenses.

A good database can help you raise more money. You can segment your donors by amount and politely ask them to give a little more in your next appeal – $35 or $50 instead of $25.

A good database can help you with retention, which will save you money since it costs less to keep donors than to acquire new ones. You can personalize your letters and email messages. No more Dear Friend. You can welcome new donors and thank donors for their previous support. You can send targeted mailings to lapsed donors to try to woo them back. You can record any personal information, such as conversations you had with a donor and their areas of interest.

Don’t cut corners when it comes to your donor data. You can’t afford to do that.

Invest in direct mail

If you never or rarely use direct mail, you’re missing out on an effective and more personal way to communicate with your donors. Think of the immense amount of email and social media posts you receive as opposed to postal mail. Your donors will be more likely to see your messages if you send them by mail.

If money is tight, you don’t have to mail that often. Quality is more important than quantity but aim for at least four times a year.

Put some thought into what you send. Some ideas, besides appeal letters, include thank you cards; Thanksgiving, holiday, or Valentine’s Day cards; infographic postcards; and two to four-page newsletters and annual/progress reports. Make everything donor-centered like the examples in this post. Your Donors Are Your Partners  You could put a donation envelope in your newsletter to raise some additional revenue, but don’t put one in a thank you or holiday card.

Shorter is better. Lengthy communication will cost more and your donors are less likely to read it.

A few ways you can use direct mail without breaking your budget are to clean up your mailing lists to avoid costly duplicate mailings, spread thank you mailings throughout the year – perhaps to a small number of donors each month, and look into special nonprofit mailing rates. You may also be able to get print materials done pro bono or do them in-house, as long as they look professional.

Of course, you can use email and social media, but your primary reason for communicating that way shouldn’t be because it’s cheaper. It should be because that’s what your donors use. If your donors prefer to communicate by mail, then you should too.

Invest in donor communications

Here’s some great wisdom from Tom Ahern – If you do better donor-communications, you’ll have more money  This means thanking your donors and keeping in touch with them throughout the year.

Communication budgets often get the short shrift but creating thank you cards and infographic postcards are a smart investment. Perhaps you need to reallocate your budget to cover some of these expenses. You could also look into additional sources of unrestricted funding.

If you think you don’t have enough time or staff to send thank you cards, then call up your thank you army, which can include board members, volunteers, and all staff.

Don’t limit yourself by saying you can’t afford to do something important. If you invest in a good database, direct mail, and donor communications, you should be able to raise more money.

 

Can Your Organization Pass the Donor-Centered Test?

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, donor retention, donor-centered, fundraising, thank you letters, writing , , , , , ,

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I recently received a newsletter from an organization that focused mainly on themselves, then their clients, and then barely mentioned their donors. There’s no question this organization does good work, but their newsletter failed the donor-centered test. Unfortunately, they’re not the only guilty culprits.

The term donor-centered is pretty self-explanatory. It means focusing on your donors’ needs and interests, acknowledging them in your letters and other communication, and taking into account that not all donors are the same.

Can your organization pass the donor-centered test? Take a few minutes to find out.

Fundraising Appeals

  • Are your fundraising appeals focused too much on your organization – rambling on about how great you are?  Your organization may be great, but let your donors figure that out. Your donors are the ones who are great, and they want to hear how they can help you make a difference for the people/community you serve.
  • Are your appeals segmented to the appropriate audience? Thank past donors or reference your relationship to a potential donor. Maybe they’re event attendees, volunteers, or friends of board members.
  • Are your appeals addressed to a person and not Dear Friend?
  • Are your appeals vague, impersonal, and filled with jargon your donors won’t understand?  Don’t say we’re helping underserved members of the community. A donor-centered appeal would say something like – With your support, we can help low-income families find affordable housing.
  • Do your appeals make people feel good about donating to your organization?

Thank you letters

  • Do your thank you letters come across as transactional and resemble a receipt? Yes, you need to acknowledge the donation is tax deductible, etc, but most donors are more concerned about how their gift made a difference.
  • Do your thank you letters (or better yet, a handwritten note) shower your donors with love?  Start your letter with You’re amazing or Thanks to You!, and not On behalf of X organization.
  • Are you telling your donors the impact of their gift?  For example – Thanks to your generous donation of $50, a local family can get a box of groceries at the Southside Community Food Bank.
  • Do you recognize each donor?  Is this the first time someone has donated?  If someone donated before, did she increase her gift?  Acknowledge this in your letter/note.

Newsletters

  • Do your newsletters sound self-promotional and focus on all the wonderful things your organization is doing instead of showing your donors how they’re helping you make a difference?
  • Is your newsletter written in the second person?  Write to the donor and use the word you more often than we. How to Perform the “You” Test for Donor-Centered Communications – Do You Pass?  BTW, all your donor communication should be written in the second person. It’s much more personal.
  • Does your newsletter include success stories, engaging photos, and other content your donors want you to share?
  • Are you using the right channels?  Perhaps you only send an e-newsletter, but some of your donors prefer print.
  • Are you showing gratitude to your donors in your newsletter?

Always think of your donors first

Use these test questions on other donor communication such as annual reports (these are rarely donor-centered), your website, and social media posts.

How did you do?

Be sure the messages you send to your donors focuses on them and makes them feel special. Staying donor-centered can help you build relationships and keep your retention rate from plummeting.

Read on for more information on how to be donor-centered.

A donor-centered organization, your donors, & relationship building

How to Create a Donor-Centered Fundraising Letter