Love Your Donors
Some special valentines today for you, and for your donors. Got that loving feeling? Don’t keep it to yourself. Share.
Click-it: Do you love your customers? Let’s begin this special ‘Love Edition’ with a quote from one of the leading thinkers of our time, Seth Godin. He distinguishes between loving your customers because they give you money and loving them; then they give you money: “it turns out that caring for people is a useful shortcut to trust, which leads to all the other things that a growing organization seeks.” Trust is one of the #1 reasons people continue to give to you… help them get there!
Click-It: Are YOU in love? Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels of the Veritus Group have found these common denominators among development professionals who are truly successful: they love their donors, their mission, their profession and finally, they love themselves.
Click-it: Are you in Danger of Becoming a Robot Fundraiser? Robots don’t really know how to love. This wonderful article by Rachel Beer on the 101 Fundraising Blog reminds us that ‘donors’ and ‘fundraisers’ are first and foremost ‘people’: “One of the most powerful things you can do to become a better fundraiser is to put the people before the tactics or, putting it another way: be more human.” Remember: Philanthropy is latin for “love of humankind.”
Click-It: 5 Steps to Newsletters that Keep Donors Close (Part One). Here is a great piece by Nancy Schwartz of Getting Attention to show how your nonprofit newsletters can become a key strategy for showing your donors the love that will keep them with you over the long haul. Only 1 in 10 donors say that you report back to them enough so that they’re motivated to give again. Wonder how your email and print newsletters might do this differently? Check out this article!
Click-It: Using Social Media For Customer Service [Infographic] Are you taking advantage of social media to show the love? Do you give good customer service? Are you donor-responsive? This article by Stuart J.Davidson on Social Media Marketing Resources points out opportunities you may be missing to create a positive perception of your organization.
Click-It: Don’t Let Them Lose That Loving Feeling Because of Poor Communication. A heartfelt post by Richard Freedlund on Greater Good Fundraising about the importance of being open and honest. With your donors. With everyone.
Click-it: A Quick Way to Steward Your Donors (on Valentine’s Day). This 501c3 “Movie Mondays” video comes from Shanon Doolittle. It’s just pure fun… and you can do this any day of the year. So tuck this idea away to use… whenever. Give your heart away, and show your donors how much you appreciate their big hearts.
Speaking of love…
If by any reason you’re still not subscribed to receive Clairification direct to your inbox (it’s free!) please do so at the top of my homepage. You’ll also get your free Donor Thank You Calls E-book + Script – so why the heck not! A prompt, personal thank you call to your donors can have a seriously positive impact on your donor retention. It’s absolutely a wonder that we don’t do more of it.
If you want even more ways to show your donors some love, get Creative Ways to Thank Your Donors. It’s one of my favorite Clairification products, and for just ten bucks you get to love your donors to pieces. I’ll bet you make the money back on day one – plus you’ll have SO much fun doing it.
Wishing you a very happy Valentine’s Day – and much success!
What are some of the creative ways you love your donors? Let’s share!
Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net