8 BOO BOO’s! Are You SCARING Nonprofit Donors Away?
There’s a first time for everything — if you will it.
What makes us think a perfect stranger, who’s never given to our organization before, will choose to do so? It’s highly counter intuitive.
People are more likely to continue doing what they’ve done before.
Commitment and consistency is one of Robert Cialdini’s six principles of influence, and it’s useful in nonprofit marketing and fundraising. But only if you’ve got existing donors.
We talk a lot in fundraising professional circles about the folly of concentrating too many resources on donor acquisition and too little on donor retention. And for good reason. It’s significantly easier and more cost-effective to keep a current donor than to recruit a new one. Why?
It’s appreciably more difficult to get people to reach a new decision than to repeat an old one.
Whenever I coach volunteers to do fundraising, I always suggest they remind current donors how many years they’ve already been giving to the organization. This acts as a decision-making shortcut for these folks. Aha! They already decided this was a good idea. No need to sweat it out again. Done!
But… what if you’re a start-up organization that doesn’t have many donors?
What if your only choice is to go after first-time donors? How do you make a ‘sale’ if people are making a decision from scratch, with no previous history with you or knowledge about your vision, mission and values?
Let’s take a look at parallels in the retail marketing world.
The always provocative thinker, Seth Godin, has written about buying something for the first time. He notes there are only three kinds of sales, and the third is akin to a revolutionary act. Did you know that one-third of people in the world have never made a true first-time purchase? They simply do what their parents/grandparents did. “My Dad always bought Gillette razors, and so do I.” “My parents always bought Kenmore appliances from Sears, and so do I.”
There are three kinds of sales.
- Buying a refill, another unit of a service or product you’ve purchased before
- Switching to a new model/brand/style
- Buying something for the first time
Renewing your donation is like buying a refill or replacement product.. You know you like this charity. Targeted marketing works here, because the donor already trusts you. This is a ‘safe’ decision, and easy to make.
Giving to a different charity in the same category is like switching to a new brand when you’ve already given to a (hunger/AIDS/cancer) charity. It’s something you’ve already decided you value. You don’t have to be sold on the cause; just the service delivery model.
Making a first-time donation is like buying something for the first time, perhaps to the little arts organization in the neighborhood that you’d never heard of before last week. Mass marketing usually doesn’t work well to stimulate this purchase, because it’s hard to know who to target.
Getting first-time donations is tricky, because you need to create a new market.
It’s not impossible, as long as you’re demonstrating a real need and filling it.
No one knew they needed fidget spinners — until they did. A new market was created, and suddenly everyone wanted to become a part of it.
Similarly, many people did not know they needed lawyers to protect the foundation of democracy which they’d previously taken for granted — until the 2016 election came along and threw everyone for a loop. A new market was created for “rage donations,” and suddenly the ACLU was generating $24 million over a single week-end (when their previous annual total for online giving was just $4 million).
What problems do you solve that people may not know are in need of solutions?
Absent a significant external event, getting someone to make a first-time decision to give requires a strong, relevant case for support.
I suggest you begin by taking a look at your opportunity.
It’s always knocking; you just need to open the door! What do you do that aligns with what is in the news today? What will people likely consider relevant? What stories can you tell that will break people’s hearts, and restore their hope?
You’ve got to show a need people agree is an important issue, and one they’d like to see addressed.
Then you’ve got to show why your organization is the best one to solve the problem.
Then you’ve got to show this again. And again. And again. Often it takes seven impressions or more for folks who’ve never heard of you before to take notice.
Your “case” must be combined with strategic, consistent messaging.
You can’t just make promises to folks who don’t yet know you; you must show you deliver on them.
In the case of the ACLU, they found a way to demonstrate their relevance in the current zeitgeist by consistently, and frequently, using social media to increase their reach and exposure. Through online marketing they were able to present their ongoing work alongside their responses to crises quickly and effectively, without the burden of postage or printing. They not only attracted new donors; they reinforced the commitment of existing members.
This requires perseverance, because folks must be brought along a continuum (sometimes called a “marketing funnel“) to get them to the point where they feel comfortable making a philanthropic gift. You’re not just educating your prospective supporter; you’re earning their trust.
Offer up gifts of useful content. News they can use. Checklists. How-to videos. Recommended resources. Compelling stories that make them want to jump into the narrative. When you give people something, they’re predisposed to want to give back.
It’s smart to make it tribal.
When everybody is talking about something, others want to get in on it.
In fact, this is another one of Cialdini’s principles of influence: social proof.
Using testimonials is a great way to not only attract a crowd, but to also demonstrate your trustworthiness. If you can show you’ve got a large community behind you, this short-cuts the decision-making process for prospective new supporters.
It also keys into an essential human quality. We want to belong. We want to be a ‘member’ of something. We feel safe within a community of like-minded folks. We make the same decisions as our friends and relatives because we’re mutually dependent on one another.
There is comfort, and safety, in numbers.
Communities are about inter-dependence, caring and contributing.
Darwin posited the theory of “survival of the most empathic,” because communities that banded together and relied on each other were, ultimately, the most “fit.” They survived. Our human instinct towards empathy goes way, way back.
It’s useful to play into natural human instincts when you’re trying to develop a new market.
Social media can be really useful here, as you can demonstrate numbers through shares, follows and comments. Don’t forget LinkedIn groups and Facebook Live to begin and join in discussions. It’s a great way to demonstrate thought leadership and get your message across.
Are you a start-up nonprofit seeking to develop numbers?
It would be wise to define your community, become a part of your community and build your community.
Do this both online and offline.
- Demonstrate you have something to offer, and that you’re meeting a need that needs addressing.
- Show how you address that need differently, and more effectively, than anyone else.
- Be patient.
To paraphrase Seth Godin:
It’s not going to happen tomorrow, or the next time. It will happen because we show up. We settle in. We become part of the fabric of the community. Ideas spread within the community. When we consistently over deliver, then drip by drip, day by day, that’s how we change the world.
2 Comments
Wow, this is packed with excellent tips for small nonprofits trying to carve out their niche, grow awareness and funding!