Donor Trust
What do our recent posts — Take This To Your CEO & Board Today and Invitation: 2nd US Donor Commitment Study — have in common? Other than that they are both ‘must read’?
Donor trust.
The first post describes how some charities and their agencies are doing their damn best to destroy donor trust in charities.
The second talks about how to build donor commitment … which assumes a fundamental platform of trust.
Here’s what communications maven Tom Ahern says in his latest e-newsletter …
“Be aware: charities are guilty until proven innocent.” Followed by …
“One real reason renewal rates, retention rates, and long-term loyalty stubbornly remain so abysmally low is because donor skepticism has been left to fester.”
Now, Tom isn’t actually talking about fraud. Although that might be the burning topic in a few weeks (stay tuned).
He’s talking about a too common failure of nonprofits to communicate effectively with donors …
“You have to remind them of your organization’s dedication to transparency, accountability, and financial health frequently … on your website, in your direct mail, in your face-to-face solicitations, and in every issue of your newsletter.”
To which I would add … and it needs to be the truth!
Tom
P.S. Check out this DonorVoice study on donor commitment. As Roger said yesterday, this study documents empirically that a donor who feels good about an organization actually gives more, more frequently and over a longer period.
2 responses to “Donor Trust”
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
Read Full Answer
I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
Read Full Answer
Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
Read Full Answer
Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
Read Full Answer
There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
Read Full Answer
I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
Read Full Answer
Love you guys. — Tom
This is a hot topic in my mind for sure – and in my opinion, trust, transparency and credibility are all built on fulfilling promises and effectively communicating with supporters through candor and maturity (and honesty as pointed out already).
The conversation has to be embrace a human, inclusive and conversational tone – which means Listening and Sharing – NOT Telling and Assuming… This can only be accomplished through new and more innovative ways of communicating the nonprofit story so it is relevant, tangible and believable to the supporter.
This is the only way to reduce skepticism and encourage long-term zealous advocates to your cause.