events

5 Creative Donor Appreciation Ideas for Small Nonprofits

Ann Green donor engagement, donor relations, donor-centered, events, gratitude, planning, video , , , , , ,

Thanking donors is crucial for securing gifts—especially for small nonprofits trying to build a support base. Show your gratitude with these creative ideas.

By Logan Foote

Building relationships is crucial for nonprofits to grow their impact. For small nonprofits in particular, these relationships are critical to growing and scaling your work to drive additional impact. A big part of such relationships is thanking donors and partners for their continued support and generosity. Truly, every donor deserves a heartfelt thank-you message for their contributions and gifts, but you can take it to the next level and make a lasting impression with an appreciation event or customized outreach.

Fun, memorable donor appreciation events and initiatives function to build a sustainable support network for your small nonprofit. Consider these appreciation ideas to thank your donors in a new and memorable way.

  1. Exclusive Events & Activities

An event designed exclusively for donors shows how much you value their support and your relationship with them. These can be tacked on to an existing event, such as your charity golf tournament, annual conference, or gala. The point is to limit it to “donors only” to reward them for their generosity. 

For instance, let’s say you’re organizing a charity golf tournament to raise money for your work. You might invite donors to an exclusive reception the day or evening before the tournament, complete with refreshments, tee times, access to the driving range, and branded merchandise as a thank you for their donations. Another idea is to have a specific flight (a series of smaller competitions within a golf tournament) or round of the tournament that’s just for donors, with special prizes for the flight’s winners.

  1. Behind the Scenes Tours

Your donors care about your mission’s progress and are investing in your daily operations by donating. Give them a new perspective on the work they’re supporting with a behind-the-scenes tour. Continuing with the golf tournament example, you might invite donors to visit while you’re prepping player gift bags or auction items. Or perhaps ask them to participate in a tour of your facility to see how your programs operate and even interact with some beneficiaries (with their permission). 

  1. Storytelling Events

Storytelling is the linchpin of your nonprofit’s case for support, so holding an event centered around that is a way to share your mission’s impact in a social setting. Invite donors to an event with a meal or refreshments and a series of stories shared by your nonprofit’s beneficiaries. Donors will have the chance to network with other donors and make connections with beneficiaries. Consider premiering any new videos or unveiling new initiatives at such an event, not only to give donors a sneak peek, but to help them want to have a stake in your organization’s future. 

Another idea is to tie storytelling into your nonprofit’s charity auction. After you’ve completed reporting from the auction and determined who made the largest contributions by purchasing the big ticket items, invite them to a storytelling event. Share in-depth insights into the impact of the money raised and how it plays into your overall mission. Donors will love the chance to meet and get to know other supporters while learning more about your organization’s future.

  1. Donor Appreciation Wall

A donor appreciation wall immortalizes your nonprofit’s most impactful donors. It’s a meaningful way to add these donors to your organization’s collective history. Place such a wall in a high visibility location, such as the entrance to your office or other facility. You can add your nonprofit’s own twist to this classic appreciation idea by determining how you’ll segment out donors on the wall and how each should be recognized. Consider these ideas:

  • Giving Tiers. Tailor these to your nonprofit to recognize major contributors to your fundraising efforts. According to Double the Donation, a common tier structure used by many organizations is bronze, silver, gold, and platinum donors and sponsors.
  • Legacy Leaders. This idea works well for younger nonprofits that are in growth mode and relied on these gifts to get their work off the ground. More established nonprofits can retroactively add donors who have significantly contributed to your growth over time. 
  • Community Champions. You might recognize donors who also volunteer their time and advocate for your nonprofit to their networks to this group. 

Other categories could include donors who contributed to fundraising events, funded a specific project or program, or contributed to a capital campaign. As your nonprofit grows, add more tiers to your appreciation walls. Be sure to plan your design with future growth and recognition in mind. You might even ask donors for their feedback on the new groupings before you finalize your thank you plan.

  1. Customized Videos

Video is an incredibly powerful tool that nonprofits should leverage whenever possible. Creating customized videos expressing your gratitude to donors is yet another way to build and strengthen relationships with your organization. These types of thank you videos don’t have to be complicated or expensive—in fact, anyone with a laptop or smartphone can make one!

Work with your organization’s president, executive director, or even a beneficiary to assist you in creating the content. Ask them to create video snippets that address each donor by name and reference the specific fund, campaign, or event they’ve contributed to. For instance, if a donor who attended your charity golf tournament excelled at one of your on-course games, won the tournament, or got a hole-in-one, be sure to mention their involvement and thank them for their participation.

In terms of logistics, batching out this personalized content will streamline the production process and the customized portion can be added to video clips that provide additional context about your work. 

Wrapping Up

Thanking donors is crucial to retaining them over time. It does add another step to the process and potentially some expense, but it should be factored into your budgets and fundraising plans whenever possible. You might think that cutting down on thank you efforts is an option to improve fundraising efficiency, but it would be at the expense of donor stewardship and relationship development. The donor appreciation ideas outlined in this post can help your nonprofit strengthen your donor relationships to keep their support well into the future.

Logan Foote, Sales and Education Manager at GolfStatus, has been around the game of golf nearly his entire life. He first picked up a club at the age of four, and despite thousands of attempts, he’s never had a hole-in-one. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and pursued a career in sales. Logan came to GolfStatus in 2017, where he channels his passion for golf to help nonprofits raise money through the game. As Sales and Education Manager, Logan oversees a team that works with thousands of nonprofit clients to maximize their golf fundraisers with the GolfStatus platform, and shares his golf fundraising expertise through GolfStatus’s free educational webinars. He lives and golfs in Lincoln, Nebraska with his wife and three sons.

3 Ways to Enhance Donor Experiences with Digital Waivers

Ann Green donor engagement, donor relations, donor retention, events, gratitude, technology, volunteers , , , , , ,

Leveraging data and making tweaks to donor-facing forms helps your nonprofit build stronger relationships. Learn how digital waivers improve donor experiences.

By Logan Lewis 

In 2023, donor retention was down significantly from the previous year. The number of new retained donors, or those who gave the previous year but never before, dropped by 18.7%. This trend goes hand in hand with lowered participation rates and a dip in the total number of donors supporting nonprofits.

In response to these patterns, nonprofits are advised to focus on stewarding existing supporters to build a strong base of loyal donors. This involves practices like frequently recognizing and showing gratitude to donors, creating multichannel fundraising and marketing campaigns, and improving the overall donor experience.

While boosting the quality of donors’ experiences can be easier said than done, making a small change like switching to digital waiver software can have significant, unexpected impacts. In this guide, we’ll explore how to use your waivers to build stronger relationships with your donors.

Offer accessible, convenient waivers.

Your nonprofit may use waivers for its volunteer opportunities or before fundraising events. These forms are designed to help protect your organization from costly potential legal issues.

However, traditional paper forms do have their drawbacks. Specifically, they are not sustainable, make it difficult to accommodate special needs, and can be cumbersome for supporters to complete on-site at events.

Fortunately, digital waivers provide a way to get around these issues. As Smartwaiver’s guide to creating a digital waiver explains, these waivers offer “increased accessibility through multiple language options and the ability to access waivers ahead of time, from anywhere.” This means supporters can access the waiver online through any device and complete it before the event. 

Online forms can be much easier for those with disabilities or other impairments to access and complete. For instance, digital documents can be read out loud to signees by screen readers, and visual elements like color contrast, screen brightness, and text size can easily be adjusted.

Create donor segments.

In addition to improving the waiver process itself, digital waivers provide easy access to important donor data. This data can be used to group donors based on shared characteristics, a process called donor segmentation. 

For example, you’ll have access to information like the donor’s birthdate, which tells you which generation they belong to. Or, you can track past waivers they’ve signed to see which types of events they usually attend, learning which projects they have an affinity for. 

These segments can be based on any factors that are useful to your nonprofit and its donor retention strategies. Common segment categories include demographics, psychographics, philanthropic history and behavior, and communication preferences. Segmenting your donors based on categories like these can be used to improve experiences with your organization in a variety of ways, including:

  • Tailoring marketing messages. Based on factors like supporters’ ages, communication preferences, and affinities for certain projects or causes, tailor the marketing messages you send to them. For example, if a supporter belongs to an older generation, you might opt to send them emails or direct mail rather than targeting them with text messages or social media ads. This increases the chance that they will engage with those messages and complete the desired action, such as donating or visiting your website.
  • Identifying loyal supporters. Make note of attendees and volunteers who also donate in addition to coming to events—these are likely your most fervent supporters. Create donor segments for these supporters to thank them for their support, provide exclusive updates, and offer early access to merchandise. Additionally, make sure to tailor your ask amounts based on these donors’ past contributions (i.e., don’t request a large donation for your year-end fundraiser when they’ve already donated their time and money throughout the year).
  • Recommending other ways to engage. With digital waivers, you can easily track an individual’s past involvement. For example, by searching a supporter’s name, you can view all of the events they’ve attended in the past and determine which projects, causes, and types of events they most enjoy. Create affinity groups for donors based on what they are passionate about, and send them messages inviting them to get involved in new ways that align with their interests.  

While every nonprofit looking to better engage and retain donors should segment and target its audience with tailored communications, this strategy is particularly important for organizations working with a limited budget. When you can reach and engage donors more effectively, you’ll have a higher return on your investment in marketing—in other words, you’ll earn more revenue per dollar spent on outreach.

Show gratitude to donors.

Demonstrating appreciation for your supporters’ involvement is one of the most important parts of donor stewardship. According to Double the Donation, strategies like mailing letters, calling donors, and even sending gifts are great ways to engage donors and show your gratitude. Additionally, taking the time to thank existing donors is much more cost-effective than recruiting large numbers of new supporters. 

The data from your digital waiver forms can help you customize each message, improving and personalizing the experience for recipients. For example, let’s say you want to thank supporters for attending and donating at a recent event. Reference each waiver to uncover helpful information such as:

  • Donors’ full names: Start your message on a personal note by greeting the recipient by name. “Dear Melissa” is much warmer than a boilerplate greeting like “Dear Donor.”
  • Contact information: Reach out to supporters through the contact information they provide on the form. Consider adding a field that asks them to identify their preferred communication method.
  • The event attended: Mention the specific event the volunteer participated in and highlight the impact that event had on your organization. After a beach clean-up day, for example, you might inform volunteers that the team was able to clean up 300 pounds of trash.
  • The role the supporter played: Ideally, you should have different forms for attendees and volunteers. Make sure to thank the recipient for their specific contributions, whether they attended or volunteered.
  • Donations made (if applicable): In addition to thanking the donor or volunteer for attending the event, show your gratitude for their financial support. Cross-check with your donation platform and reference the exact gift amount in your message. 
  • Feedback: Depending on which questions and fields you include on the waiver, supporters may have the opportunity to leave their thoughts about your organization, the event, or the waiver process. Be sure to address any feedback in communications to the supporter. 

Remember to consider the timing of these messages. Send initial thank-you messages for donations within 48 hours after the gift is made. Additionally, send “just because” messages throughout the year to stay at the top of donors’ minds. For example, you might send donors eCards or handwritten letters during the holiday season, on birthdays, or around the anniversary of their first donation.

To keep your nonprofit safe in times of economic uncertainty and falling donor participation, it’s critical to look after the donors you do have. Using digital waivers helps you unlock clues about donors’ preferences and passions so you can create convenient, personalized, and authentic experiences that make them want to continue supporting your mission. 

Logan Lewis is the Content Coordinator at Smartwaiver, the leading digital waiver service trusted by thousands of organizations around the world.

5 Public Speaking Tips That Can Help Nonprofit Professionals

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

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

By Patti Schutte

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

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

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

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

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

1. Tailor your presentation to your audience. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. Plan your presentation conclusion first. 

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

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

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

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

3. Use stories to create an emotional connection.

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

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

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

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

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

4. Practice your pitch.

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

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

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

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

5. Learn to pivot. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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