I’m not selling you any tea today.

“I’m not selling you any tea today” was the subject line of an email I recently received from Teabox, a place where I buy the most fabulous Darjeeling tea you’ve encountered anywhere.

Well, some time during the past year they apparently hired a new “Head of Customer Experience.” Since then, I’ve received more emails from them than in the past. And, guess what? I’ve purchased more tea!

Did I need any more tea? Not exactly.

But the emails are always delightful and make me feel like:

• I’m a discerning tea lover.
• I’m a member of a tight little group of fellow discerning tea lovers.
• I’m supporting eco-conscious harvesting.
• I’m supporting fair wages.
• I’m helping this treasure stay in business.

Does this sound like the type of feelings you’d like to engender in your donors?

Whenever you can tell a story to draw consumers into your narrative – so much so they want to become a part of your story – that’s when you create a win/win for both you and them.  Everybody is happy – and that’s really a huge part of your mission, should you choose to accept it.

I often tell organizations: “You’re in the happiness delivery business.”  And, why not? Couldn’t the world use a lot more positive feelings? And don’t positive feelings create ripples, creating more positive feelings?

That’s a recipe for a sustainable organization – and, also, a happier healthier world for us all to live in.

As Nonprofit Quarterly notes in Wellbeing is Infrastructure: “Wellbeing serves as critical infrastructure for both organizations and movements, sustaining the people, relationships, and capacity required to advance missions, support communities, and drive lasting change.”

Look what happens when you don’t lead with ‘sales.’

First, I’ll share the email with you. You’ll notice it is a pure customer cultivation (aka “experience”) message – though that doesn’t mean there isn’t a call to action at the end. Let’s take a look

My Analysis

First, I commend the storytelling format this email takes. It leads from their values. Who they are. Not what they do, or even what they want from you. It’s also a bit cheeky and provocative, which might offend some – but many folks, like me, will appreciate it. And, it definitely catches your attention and makes you want to read more.

The opening is timely, and transporting.

It arrived on International Women’s Day – and Teabox happens to employ a lot of women. The intro enabled them to take us back in time to the first year this holiday was established – 80 years ago. They used this history to pose the question: Shouldn’t women’s rights have come a long way by now?

Well, they haven’t.

It’s a problematic story that’s still unfolding – and, by implication, one we can be a part of (for good or ill).

The unsolved problem is front and center, and very resonant – particularly on this day.

Most women tea pluckers, they explain, still earn a below-poverty wage.

They’re specific: Just $2 USD/day.

The solution is clear and achievable.

Their mission is to elevate the industry and those who provide fair wages. They don’t brag about their accomplishments, but simply lay out the situation. One we all have a part in.

Reading between the lines, you can see that buying their product can improve the lives of 3.5M women pluckers.

Again, they are specific.

There are demonstrated “ripple” benefits from your purchase.

Here, they offer a real woman’s story and her own words. She tells us one of the things she likes about her job, beyond fair compensation, is her friends: “We pluck together, chat, and share stories. It makes the long hours easier.”

People love to stretch their dollars. This is why, in nonprofit fundraising, matching challenge campaigns work so well. It’s also why people support food banks, which can supplement the donor’s dollar with donated product – enabling them to provide a meal for less than it would cost purchasing from a grocery store.

Leveraging is a good bargain.

You are prompted to feel the feels.

Emotions are triggered by our senses, and in this email we’re encouraged to engage a number of them as we enjoy our tea — and think about the women who made it possible.

We know, at base, all decisions related to purchases (philanthropic ones included) are emotional.

Community is the call to action.

The feeling of community – we’re all in this together — is woven throughout, and comes to a crescendo at the closing with: “We’d always love to learn more about our tea lover community.” Beyond feeling the feels, we’re prompted to share a story about a woman in our lives.

It’s an easy ask – and a way to be inclusive.

What This Means for Your Social Benefit Organization

Less is not always more.

While often nonprofits shy away from bombarding constituents with too many emails, the problem is often less the quantity than the quality. Not frequency fatigue so much as meaning fatigue. You must first connect emotionally if you ultimately want to spur action.

Even when I don’t need tea, I still open the Teabox emails. I didn’t used to.  But the current messaging is so delightful, I look forward to hearing from them. And, when I’m ready, I buy more tea from them.

You can elicit this type of loyalty from your donors simply by letting them know their support matters — and that they, as humans, matter too.

Get inside your donors’ heads.

Offer feedback opportunities so you can speak to them authentically – with great humanity.

Reach out proactively.

Connect with empathy.

Share what you and your constituents have in common.

This will lead donors to identify with you, trust you, and want to continue their relationship with you.

P.S. The Teabox thank you emails when you purchase are pretty awesome too, often sharing photos of happy women pluckers and including additional opportunities for feedback. If you buy some tea from them (I get nothing in return; they’ll probably never even know I shared them as an example of good marketing), you’ll get on their mailing list for a marketing/customer experience master class. I’m just saying…

Want to Build Loyalty Over Time?

Grab the Attitude of Gratitude Donor Guide + Creative Ways to Thank Your Donors. It includes everything I’ve learned over the years, all tucked it into one handy no-nonsense Guide on the practice of gratitude. 106 full pages, with lots of ready-to-use samples and templates.

And it includes Creative Ways to Thank Your Donors — with 72 ideas for you to steal!

Image: 3 San Francisco Hearts: Rainbow; Love; Resilience — Benefit for San Francisco General Hospital Foundation