Do you work in a smaller nonprofit? Chances are you do – in 2010 75% of nonprofits had annual budgets under $500,000.
So you probably can’t turn to a well-oiled fundraising machine to coordinate complicated campaigns that cross multiple channels. We’re happy just to have a database, get the mail out on time, use email with some regularity and get those thank you letters out without too much delay, right?
Here’s the truth – we CAN’T do it all. There’s only us. We’re only human, and there are only so many hours in each day. We can and should study what those sophisticated campaigns are doing. But we have to make realistic choices.
One of the things savvy marketers do is turn a disadvantage into a big advantage. (Remember the car rental firm Avis? “We’re number two. We try harder.”)
So what’s our advantage?
Our smaller number of donors.
No, I’m not joking.
When you have hundreds of thousands of donors, you might stop thinking of them as people and start thinking of them as numbers. Or segments. Neither is particularly warm and fuzzy. I get countless examples of this in my mailbox daily.
But we actually meet lots of our donors face to face. In a smaller community, we interact with them all the time. We know them – or we know people who know them. With hundreds or maybe thousands of names on our lists, we can offer what donors really want:
Personal connection. Genuine communication about their impact. Sincere thanks.
I explained this to my board recently. I said we were going to shamelessly exploit our advantage. That was how we could stand out in this busy season of giving.
I began by writing personal thank you notes to everyone who gives.
Not everyone above a certain dollar amount – everyone. My hand hurts, but I’m smiling.
Just because.
And when mailboxes quiet after the new year, I plan to do something I’ve done before – send “just because” thanks. These are warm letters full of gratitude. They’re not sent in response to a gift. I send them to all donors – or if that’s not possible, to donors who’ve been giving loyally – regardless of amount. Or brand new donors. The key is this is not transactional. This is purely about gratitude.
Have a board thankathon.
I’ve had a hard time selling phonathons to boards. Let’s face it, being asked to come in and call people to ask for donations isn’t most people’s idea of fun. So my thankathon proposal met with skepticism. But once the hardy few started talking to donors, that all changed. Donors were delighted that no one was asking for anything other than their thoughts. Callers were walking on air, and recommitted to our work after hearing about it from our donors.
Here are some other ideas:
Ask for recommendations
Then call and talk to everyone who responds. They’re raising their hand!
Use surveys to get feedback
And learn more about your donors.
Hold thank you events
Again, without ulterior motives. They don’t have to be fancy or expensive.
Invite people to come see your work first-hand.
Offer tours or volunteer opportunities.
Thanks for this post. I always route for the little guy. After all… I am one (and so is my firm).
Some other benefits of being small for nonprofits and private firms:
-You can be more nimble and able to make changes than the big guys.
-You and your senior staff can be much more accessible to donors.
-A major donor for you might be a random number in a big organizations database.
-You’ll have less silos and more teamwork.
-You can emphasize your uniqueness with unique branding and messaging.
-People love niche businesses and organizations… Porsche is still a niche automaker.
I could go on and on.
Completely agree, Greg! Agility is really key – decisions don’t need 14 meetings about meetings. Two people talk, decide… do!
Thanks.
I quite agree! A fundraiser is able to be more personal… the gifts are perhaps not as abundant, but I always believe the donors are more loyal. Great perspective!
Thanks, Beth. I often think of you as I sit down to write more notes!
Mary, we do think so much alike when it comes to this topic. When you build a personal relationship with a donor, the donor will feel closer to the organization and will likely tell more people how good it feels to be a partner. That will inspire those they tell to learn more. A larger organization really cannot create that kind of a partnership.
I suppose they could, but it doesn’t seem to work that way. Different priorities, I guess. Thanks, Richard, for commenting.
you are spot on with this post! Been doing all this for 4+ years and it has resulted in better donor retention and re-engaging lapsed donors. My new personal best – someone donated again this year who had not donated in 24 years! But it takes work and it takes time.
24 years!? You rock! I was at an event a few weeks ago at a place I used to work. It was so cool to see people I’d befriended there years ago – who weren’t especially big donors then – still there, still giving… Nice to know I played a small part in that. But 24 years? That’s a wow!
Great ideas, Mary, thanks!
Thanks, Deirdre!
Perfect post. Yes, having few donors can be a luxury. It should be enjoyed! Even if you have many donors, you can do a version of this. It just requires being creative, and practicing an attitude of gratitude at all times. I always kept 5 note cards on my desk for spontaneous thank you’s to SOMEBODY. At the end of every day, my job was to write/send one. Surely everyone has someone they can thank each day — and that’s a LOT of folks who’ll be happy when they’re on the receiving end. 🙂
Absolutely! Those notecards… I keep buying the biggest boxes I can find at Target. But I keep needing more. And that’s a good thing. Besides being good for donor care, I think it’s good for the person writing as well – it definitely puts you in mind of your donors as individuals, and of their point of view.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Claire!