Marketing is not fundraising“We need to do more marketing” – often expressed by staff and board members of social impact organizations. “If we can only educate everyone on the great work we do, people would support us!” The thing is, there’s no relationship in that notion. You’re just telling people how great you are – that’s a one-way transaction. As for the part about “educating donors” – that has a whiff of treating them like schoolchildren who need to be told. Here’s what you do instead – start developing relationships with people, invite them to be part of your herd, and show them what impact you’re having on the clients you serve (including non-humans). Ask them to join you in the work that you do because without them, you can’t change the world. And show them, over and over, that because of them, society is changing for the better. You can’t do that by marketing. Laura Mikuska · Are your appeals appealing?Another year end come and gone, and with it some hits and misses in appeals and thank yous… First, the face palms: 1. A weak call to action.
These were taken from the first three randomly chosen letters in the pile of appeals! (And yes, one letter contributed two of these…) 2. Not paying attention to good customer service or donor preferences.
3. Not talking about real impact.
And now the high fives: 1. Making the donor the hero.
2. Using stories to show impact.
3. Sincere thank yous
4. Clear calls to action.
Communication really matters, whether it’s good or bad. And with the Fundraising Effectiveness Report telling us that for every 100 donors gained in 2014, 103 were lost through attrition, good communication is key. Are you communicating in a way that donors say yes? Julie Mikuska. P.S. For opinions from a donor on her experience donating to various charities, follow The Whiny Donor on Twitter @thewhinydonor. (This article originally appeared in our January 2016 e-newletter. Subscribe here.) · Poverty mentality: it has to changeOrganizations in the social impact sector work to change the world. Every day. Some work with the most marginalized and forgotten people, others save the environment, create life-changing art, take care of our health and save animals. Pretty important stuff. Why, then, are they expected to constantly beg for their funds? They are having a huge impact in all of our lives every hour of every day – they shouldn’t be forced to shut valuable programs that help society, just because they are defined as charitable. They shouldn’t be forced to pay poverty wages to talented people (only to lose them when they can’t make a living) and have little to no technology to do their jobs. It’s great to have a corps of volunteers to help deliver on the mission, but (well)paid staff and resources have to underpin the work of those volunteers. Grant application after grant application all specify that the funds are for “programming”, with little to none of the funding directed towards staff, or keeping the lights on. Why?? And why do funders give limited-time funding for “projects” that will die when the funding runs out? It’s time that we, as members of our collective society, start to speak out about why we have to change from a poverty mentality to one of abundance in supporting the work of the social impact sector. We will all be richer for it. Laura Mikuska · How and when to thank donorsThe time to thank a donor is when you get a gift. That’s all. No mysterious formula. It’s not when you get enough gifts in to batch receipts. It’s not really about the receipt, although most people would like one eventually. If the process for creating receipts in your organization are making you wait to thank donors, then get the thank you letter out first and send the receipt later – then work on getting the receipt process changed! How to thank donors is also quite simple.
Donors are much more likely to give again if they are promptly and properly thanked. So make time to do just that. Julie Mikuska. · |
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