Two Most Important Donor Questions
Roger made an off-hand comment in his recent keynote presentation to the Fundraising Success Virtual Conference & Expo.
He noted what he thinks are the two most important questions donors ask of a nonprofit:
1. Will my contribution make a difference?
2. Did my contribution make a difference?
With respect to #1, what result(s) are you promising your donor or donor prospect? Can you tell your prospect that in a sentence or two … a paragraph … that arrests their attention?
With respect to #2, how systematically and specifically are you reporting the results your donors’ contributions have made possible?
In your opinion, is there anything more important to your donors than making performance promises and keeping them?
Tom
2 responses to “Two Most Important Donor Questions”
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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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Great post. Over and over again we are reminded that donors want to hear from us about what’s been accomplished with their dollars. Yet, as budgets get tight, one of the first things to get cut back is the newsletter which does precisely that. Let’s fight harder to keep our donor stewardship tools in the budget!
“In your opinion, is there anything more important to your donors than making performance promises and keeping them?”
With the possible exception of making certain that your donors know the maximum amount of their contributions goes to the actual mission (and not to administrative overhead or other things), probably not!
Simply, liken this issue to the stock market and public investment in companies and corporations. The stockholder wants to know: (a) if the investment will make a difference in the company’s ability to be profitable (and, perhaps, even make a positive difference in the world); and, (b) will the investment produce a return (dividend). The promises are made in the prospectus or product offering, and the outcomes are documented/reported in the annual report. If the promises made are not kept, the investor inevitably goes elsewhere!
I agree with Kathy that budget resources for the collateral communications devices needed to report to donors must be maintained. On the other hand, however, it is fairly easy to use routine communication with donors (i.e., acknowledgment letters, follow-up appeals, etc.) to report to them on performance promises made and kept. Every communication opportunity should be so used.