Would Your Donors Miss You?
James Read at the Grizzard agency wrote a recent post, What Would Steve Jobs Do At Your Nonprofit?
In it, he asks the question: “…are there many nonprofit organizations out there that would be similarly mourned if they disappeared overnight?”
And he answers himself: “Unfortunately, many nonprofits wouldn’t be missed. They’re competent, good, and provide life-changing services, but they have yet to wow their donors.”
Do you agree? One interesting way to think about this is to ask yourself … if your nonprofit did disappear, what group would be best positioned and able to pick up your torch?
Answer that question … and then strive to do better than them!
Here’s what James thinks Jobs would do if he were your CEO:
- Paint a compelling vision for a better world and offer donors relevant, concrete ways they can partner with your organization to make it a reality.
- Anticipate what your donors want. He would make sure they received timely receipts, reports on what their gifts accomplished, and surprise them (in a positive way) with all the good that’s getting done.
- Weave a compelling experience for your donors. Through the stories he told, your organization’s website, and every other touch-point, he would pull your donors into the excitement and drama of how your organization is changing the world.
- Make sure that your nonprofit delivered amazing value for every dollar your donors contribute.
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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