How well do you know your donors?

Or, more to the point, do they feel as if you know them?

I think of a story about President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. After he died, his body was transported by train through America. At one station, a reporter asked a man who was in tears if he knew President Roosevelt. And the grieving man said, “No, I didn’t know President Roosevelt. But he knew me.”

The quote above is a story Amy Klobuchar related at the New Hampshire debate. I immediately tucked it away, because it says so much about how we should be thinking of our supporters.

This doesn’t mean you need to have personal relationships with all your donors. It does mean that you should work hard to have them feel known.

How? Let’s start with the most basic:

Know your donors: Personalization and good data

Are you certain you have donor’s names right? Salutations? Are you opting for “conventional” titles rather than correct ones?

Part of this is dealing with donor management systems that haven’t caught up to the 21st century. (Plenty of households have couples with different names, for instance. Or lack a “Mr. and Mr.” or “Dr. and Mr.” option.) You will need to find workarounds. Throwing your hands up isn’t a good solution. Also… the more people who press their DMS vendor for flexibility here, the better.

But part of it is careful handling of the data you do have. If you’re opening envelopes, what have they included on the return address? How do they fill in the response form? What does the check say and who signed it?

One small tip: include how you have donors listed in your thank you note. Ask them to let you know if it’s not right and give them an easy way to contact you. Don’t make it a form. Make it personal:

You are important to us. So we want to be sure we get things right. We have you listed as Ms. Mary Cahalane. Is that correct? If it’s not, please let me know. You can call me at {this number} or email me at {email address}.

Know your donors: What do they care about the most?

Perhaps your organization’s mission is tightly focused. You do one thing and do it well. That’s great – and probably makes this part easier.

But many organizations do several things – or take several paths toward fulfilling their mission. Have you noted which of those your donor cares about?

You can take some clues by what appeals a donor responds to. (Though see Jeff Brooks piece on Old Man Eating here and be cautious!)

You can also… ask.

Soliciting feedback can really strengthen your donor relationships. You can use a print survey and include questions about their priorities. Or you can try a digital one. In that case, I’d keep it focused on the one question.

The answers may surprise you. Don’t ignore them! And those who don’t answer may also be telling you something about where you fall on their priorities. Either way, get that information into your database!

Know your donors: How do you communicate with them?

Organization-focused communication says that the organization is what matters and lucky donors can support it. And lots of generous people do respond to this when the cause is important enough to them.

But donor-focused communication speaks to what the donor can accomplish. It talks to what’s in their head and heart. It shows them how they can act on the best vision of themselves they have.

It talks to them directly. About what really matters to them. It lights up something in their heart and confirms they are both good and able to help.

You can’t do this with organization-speak. You can’t do this with bragging. You can’t tap dance your way into their hearts.

You can only pour your humanity into your communications. And trust to the generous spirit of each person you reach.

Like President Roosevelt, you most likely don’t know each donor personally.

But each donor should feel like you do.

Photo by Edi Libedinsky on Unsplash