Philanthropy, Not Fundraising
I’m going to go out on a limb here and make an assumption. Here goes: Your goal is to attract supporters and invest in long-term relationships that will sustain your mission. If your goal is different, read no further. Otherwise… carry on.
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Have you ever made a phone call hoping to talk with someone, but instead reached voice mail?
Of course you have!
Does that mean you don’t ever make phone calls?
Of course not!
What do you do?
You leave a message and ask the person to call, email or text you back.
Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.
But at least they know you reached out to them. If they want to connect with you, they now have an invitation to do so. And if they know you, and like you, they’re very likely to return your call.
Donors know you. They like you. Otherwise they wouldn’t have made a gift to you.
So why are you, or your board members, so afraid to pick up the phone to thank them?
All the time nonprofits tell me “Asking our board members to make thank you calls won’t work, because people screen their calls these days; they won’t pick up.”
Sometimes they will, sometimes they won’t.
Either way, you’ll have accomplished something important merely by proactively reaching out.
Stop worrying about how your donors will or won’t behave. Instead, worry about how you’re behaving. Or not.
Don’t donors deserve thank you calls?
Of course they do!
Penelope Burk, author of Donor-Centered Fundraising, found 91% of donors said this is their number one preferred method of recognition.
“I’m not selling you any tea today” was the subject of an e 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 es from…
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Think about the last time you contributed to a friend or family member’s peer-to-peer campaign. Maybe you sponsored their walkathon. Or contributed to their birthday fund. Whatever the purpose, you donated because you’re their friend — not necessarily because you have a close connection to the organization they were raising funds for. As you can…
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Let’s pretend you and your donor are not connecting meaningfully right now. You’re not sure why. Could it be they feel financially insecure… they’re worried for their kids… they’ve been let down by politicians… they’re just feeling cynical and/or hopeless? For whatever reason, things aren’t singing between you and them. They haven’t renewed. They haven’t upgraded. They haven’t responded to any of your outreach. They seem to have other priorities.
So, you decide to go to counseling to reinvigorate the relationship. The therapist makes a wise observation: Sometimes in life, one partner feels strong; the other less strong. In such times, the stronger partner has resources to support the weaker partner. Other times, neither partner feels they have coping resources. During these times, we have to depend more on ourselves, be patient, and accept that our partner is not currently in a strong position – even though we really need their support.
Are you being a support for your donor? Are you helping, not selling all the time? Are you being patient, yet persistently showing you care?
We’re in turbulent times.. Alas, as need is burgeoning there are fewer individual givers. During the pandemic, some industries, like education, began losing support. As did many smaller charities not involved in addressing hot-button topics. And prior to the pandemic studies showed giving to be sluggish. Donors are less loyal. Donors may be distracted by emergencies. Or so-called rage giving. Or simply uncertainty about what lies ahead. So they’re giving less consistently. As a result, donor centered fundraising has never been as important as it is now.
People are feeling a need to be nurtured. In other words: Ask not what your donors can do for you, but what you can do for your donors. Recognize they don’t serve you; you serve them. They don’t owe you; you owe them. Your job is to help them experience the joy of giving. It is through you they will achieve their most meaningful work.
Embrace the true meaning of philanthropy as love of humankind. Remember your donors are humankind; you must love them if you want to be a part of philanthropy. Otherwise, you’re just transacting business.
So… what can you do to embrace love — 360 degrees — and thereby open the doors to passionate philanthropy?
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Last year, you posted about sending donors valentines, which I came across a bit too late in the game, so I sent emails. But, this year, I kept that idea and planned for it, and sent handmade valentines to my top level donors. I felt like I was in 2nd grade with my glue stick and doilies, but the response has been amazing! Not only did my colleagues get in on the action, but I have received nothing but great comments via email and phone calls. Definitely a practice I’ll do every year. Thanks for the great idea!
— Rebekah Cross, Special Gifts Officer, Guiding Eyes for the Blind
And nothing is more worth celebrating than a holiday, and your donors!
You’ve still got time to send a little love your donors’ way! It’s been a tough, and for many a lonely, isolating and “othering” few years. Chances are good we’re still in for a long season of time during which donors could really use a little extra love from you. Many folks — your donors included — are love starved right now.
Why might this be something for you to consider, amidst all the other “to-do’s” on your plate?
If you don’t do a lot more donor loving, you’re going to do a lot more donor losing.
I hope by now you know donor retention is the name of the game. It costs so much more to acquire a new donor than to keep an existing one. Yet too few nonprofits have serious, intentional donor stewardship programs in place. Because of that, on average, nonprofits lose roughly 8 out of 10 first-time donors and close to 6 out of 10 of all donors.
Don’t be one of those “take the money and run” organizations!
If donors only hear from you when you want something from them, they’re not likely to give more. Or even give again.
Be generous! Show donors how much their support means to you.
Really, donor love should be like breathing for you. In and out. Out and in.
You’ll be amazed at how a little love can go a long way.
If you can’t send valentines to every donor, select a segment or two.
Think about those donors for whom you’d like to show some special love, because they showed you some. Show them you noticed! They could be:
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- Major donors.
- Monthly donors.
- Donors who’ve given faithfully for five years or more.
- Donors who increased their giving this year.
- First-time donors of $100+.
- Donors who also volunteer.
- Board and committee members.
“Philanthropy, at its core, is not a financial system — it’s a behavioral one. Donor trust, like patient trust, is built on consistent signals of safety, empathy, and responsiveness. When those signals break — when follow-ups don’t happen, gratitude feels mechanical, or communication becomes sporadic — relationships weaken.” — Sanjay Bindra Bindra makes a neurochemistry case…
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Fundraisers talk a lot about asking. Now, as year-end gifts arrive, let’s turn to the equally important task of thanking. In fact, this may be even important than the ask. If you ask well you get one gift. If you thank well, you may receive a lifetime of gifts. Alas, this is where too…
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You may not think you have a “money left on the table” problem. But, bear with me. Because, in my experience, many, many nonprofits – perhaps most of them – have tables in waiting areas literally groaning under the weight of piles and piles and piles of unclaimed, unused money. You’ve done most of the…
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You likely collect a lot of data in your donor database, but is it really valuable to you? It’s not if you just let it sit there, rarely lo at it, and never run reports based on data that will help you with meaningful donor segmentation for appeals. And by that, I mean meaningful from…
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