Once More With Meaning
nce the fires, my marketing trips have also become fundraising trips. “Would you like to roundup to help fire victims?” I am asked at the checkout. And I say yes. Of course I say yes. What’s another few cents when I think about all that people have lost?
Round ups have been around for a long time, but they’ve become more ubiquitous over the past year or so. For me, the constant asking if I would help these animals, or that organization, or perhaps this cause, inures me and saying No becomes easier. As will supporting the victims of our fires in a week or two. Even though the amounts are small, the disconnect between my generosity and wherever it goes makes me not care. And if I don’t care, I typically don’t give.
That’s a problem for monthly giving programs. How can you make this person’s $10, 15, 25 every month seem meaningful?
You really can’t, I think, unless you create a bigger picture.
Thanks for $10 this month doesn’t quite make it. Thanks for the $120 you will give this year is better. Better still for those recurring donors who have been recurring for years. Thanks for the $600 you’ve given us since you started being a recurring donor has more heft.
And that’s the thing about saying thank you. It needs heft. It has to feel meaningful.
When I give online, I get an automatic thank you. Lovely except….except it is kind of meaningless unless I am itemizing my income tax. Then it serves quite well as a tax receipt. But otherwise? I’m pretty clear that it is an automatic response and I automatically ignore it.
Thanking someone for their generosity must be more than automatic. It also must make the donor feel that they have done something meaningful—and that they want to continue doing that meaningful thing.
Donor attrition rates are high and have remained high for years. Six out of every 10 first time donors to an organization typically never make a second gift. Indeed, six out of every 10 donors in any year, simply do not give the next year. Think about that—if you could increase your donor retention from 40% to 50%, how much more money would have to pursue your mission?
The only sure way to keep your donors is to show them how important they are. Over a year, that means more than simply saying thank you. Or in telling them about the impact your organization has. It is all about connecting the dots between their generosity and your actions.
According to The Generosity Commission, 67% of survey respondents want to know all the details about how organizations use their donations. And that’s not just your larger donors. In fact, don’t ever lose sight of the reality that my small gift may represent a bigger percentage of my discretionary dollars that the gift one of your wealthier donors provided.
Regardless of the size of the gift, do send personal, perhaps handwritten thank you notes. Not just from the Executive or Development Director but from a board member, a client, a program officer who sees first hand the difference your donation has made.
Show that difference—via videos, storytelling—on social media, your website, private email messages.
Educate your donors about what you do and what their participation does. And speaking of participating, if you can (and only if you can do this well!), offer volunteer opportunities so they can see first hand the difference they make.
And mostly, don’t rely on technology to show your gratitude. Ensure that every donor knows that there is a person who cares about what they do. Sure, AI can make your life easier, but it won’t make your donor feel better about their gift. For that you need human interaction. That means you don’t just say “thank you” you actually ask them why they gave and what they hope to accomplish with their philanthropy. You don’t just teach them about what you do, you bother to find out what they would like to learn about your work, your cause, your clients.
Show your donors that you honestly care about them and truly appreciate what they do—and they, in turn, will help to ensure that you can do your work and help the people and the cause you both care so passionately about.