This week, you’re going to be bombarded with ways to show #DonorLove.
Much of the advice you get will be standard and sound. Some will be cheesy and tacky. Hopefully some ideas will be original and inspirational. It’s up to you to determine which is which. I suggest doing things that will make you stand out (in a good way) with your donors.
Several years ago, I wrote a post on how to love your donors on Valentine’s Day. I stand by the advice. It covers the basic things you should be doing on a regular and ongoing basis — not just on Valentine’s Day.
3 Ways to Alienate Your Donors
This year I thought it would be more interesting to focus on what NOT to do. With that in mind, here are three surefire ways to alienate your donors on Valentine’s Day (and every other day too).
1. Ignore them.
Most fundraisers worry that they will annoy their donors by reaching out. However, it’s more likely that once you’re out of sight, you’re out of mind. Don’t ignore your donors.
Reach out to donors regularly to provide updates, ask questions, offer invitations, check in, and more. This does not mean bombard them with bulk mail or email. Reach out in personal, meaningful ways.
2. Treat them like ATM machines.
This should be self-explanatory. Don’t treat donors like money machines. As a rule of thumb, you shouldn’t ask for a gift until you’ve:
- Expressed gratitude for prior gifts.
- Explained how the last gift made a difference.
- Invited them to volunteer or get involved.
- Asked questions to learn why they give.
If you haven’t touched base with your donors between asks, you’re treating them like ATM’s rather than caring supporters.
3. Be dishonest with them.
Don’t pretend you’re not raising money. Be honest with your donors and supporters; they will respect you for it. Let them know in advance of any meeting what the purpose of that meeting is. If they don’t want to meet, that’s okay. They probably won’t give much anyway.
Open up with your donors. Be authentic about why you want to get to know them. After all, you’re looking to develop support among those who care most about your issue and your organization. It doesn’t mean your only looking for money, but definitely don’t try to hide that fact.
You may not be able to apply these three recommendations to all your donors, but certainly they apply to your biggest and most loyal donors — all those you hope to ask for special or major gifts this year.
Surprise and Delight Your Donors
Over at the Capital Campaign Toolkit (my other gig), one of our core values is to surprise and delight our clients. If we sent a Valentine’s Day card on Valentine’s Day, it wouldn’t really be a surprise. Likewise, it wouldn’t really delight anyone to get a “I love you” card from a vendor/consultant.
To truly woo your donors, you need to be authentic and genuine. Do things that relate to the mission of your organization. Offer heartfelt gratitude. Do something kind when they least expect it. Then it will be that much more memorable.
What will you do differently to love your donors this week, and indeed, all year long? Let me know in the comments.
We send valentines to a select group of supporters and they love them! We used to send holiday cards in Dec. and decided to avoid the end-of-year crush and send Valentines in Feb. Works for us and doesn’t come across as creepy.