Social Entrepreneur blog for the world changers
All Donors Major Donors
What We Say Matters
Mar 9th
Most of the individuals that regularly read my blog are not individuals that I see on a d
aily basis. I had a great conversation with a friend of mine who also happens to be a donor. He also happens to be one of those individuals that knows me personally, professionally, and as a blogger. You can read his guest post earlier this month, “I Am Not A Prospect.”
He really challenged me to think carefully about what our terminology really means and how it impacts our thinking.
I like to think of fundraising as an opportunity for an organization to link with an individual who has similar interests and passions as the organization. Using the word prospect can dehumanize that interaction and make it only transactional, regardless of whether the word is being used publicly or privately. Maybe a better phrase is a “potential partner” to the organization.
I want to promote a conversation around nonprofits doing a better job creating authentic relationships with individuals (and businesses) who care about the issues they believe in. That means that I need to write using terminology that supports that perspective. That also means we, as a Foundation or Development Office, need to increase the kinds of partnerships we can create beyond a simply financial focus. We need to develop advocates, opportunities for in-kind gifts, and take time to engage community members as thinking consultants. A few weeks ago, I brokered a meeting between a vice- president at the hospital where I work and a potential supporter who is an executive at a technology/business intelligence consultant business. The outcome was that this potential supporter will provide perspective on some of the upcoming business intelligence software decisions we are making. This is a great example of engaging potential supporters as partners.
My friend justifiably challenged a perspective that I did not realize I was perpetuating. There is a need for a paradigm shift in the way fundraising and development is approached (fund is in the word fundraising, that’s a great example of how engrained that thinking really is). It is going to take a long time to right the way we think and talk about development. But, it is important that we do.
Related posts:
Handwritten Notes
Feb 14th
When was the last time you received a handwritten note? I can count on one hand the number of handwritten notes that I’ve received in the last six months. If you eliminate holiday cards and birthday cards that just have a signature on it, then it’s even less. Another remarkable thing about the handwritten notes I’ve received over the last six months is that I can tell you who they were from and what they said. Have you ever received a handwritten note that you didn’t read?
How many emails have you received in the last six days? Can you remember even half of them or who sent them? One of the advantages of a handwritten note sent during today’s digital world is that they are so rare. Emails and even phone messages will often be immediately deleted or forgotten. How many letters and emails do you get that you never even read?
Handwritten notes are a great way to say thank you. You can say the same thing (or even less) in a handwritten note than in an email and it often means more because you took the time to write it yourself. The thank you will often be kept and read again if it is in paper form, whereas in email it will just be archived or deleted.
Another great use for handwritten notes is to make an introduction. If I receive the same note in email and handwritten form, there is a better chance I will follow up with the handwritten note. Notes are a great way to invite a VIP on a tour or for an introduction meeting. Mention that you are going to follow up with a phone call.
Related posts:
- Mental Follow-up Games
- Get on the Phone
- The Immediate Thank You Call
- Obama Crowned Direct Mail King
- Pick Up the Phone
Small to Middle Donors and Obama
Jul 28th
I received some great comments and encouragement from, Major Gifts or Middle Giving, a couple months ago. I’m searching for answers to what this program might look like. What needs to happen is a technique where you can cultivate a fan-base in a way that is personal to them. Or, we need to find a way to cultivate middle giving donors in a low-cost, time-efficient way.
In Viral Loop
“If Obama had asked for $100 million in the weeks leading up to the election, he probably wouldn’t have gotten it. Instead he told people to donate whatever they could – a few bucks even – and then he was able to return to them over and over. In other words small is the new big.”
This started my mind thinking about all of the opportunities that social media can provide for us. Often nonprofits send off regular annual mailings that sometimes fund a direct need and other times fund an ongoing annual need. These letters often ask the donor to stretch their giving beyond what they have done in the past to upgrade their giving. I believe we do this because it can cost a lot of money to send a mail-out multiple times a year. But social media is free. What if we sent an email out to our donor-base regarding specific needs? Instead of asking for $100 from one donor, we would ask him to be a part of a group of people raising $100,000. We could also provide an opt-out box and let him know we will connect with him in a week’s time if we do not reach our goal. We could also encourage donors to fund specific needs as they develop. If they are funding in smaller specific amounts, maybe they would make more small gifts adding up to a higher overall total.
I don’t see this as a comprehensive donor strategy as I really believe in the power of monthly giving. I’m just throwing out one idea that popped into my head as I was considering this. What other ideas do you have, has this sparked any thinking for you?
Related posts:
- Obama Crowned Direct Mail King
- Are Fan Bases Major Donors?
- Organizing Your Donors
- Major Gifts or Middle Giving
- More on All Donors as Major Donors
Are Fan Bases Major Donors?
Jun 14th
With the emergence of so many social media tools, there are fan bases developing all around you. I’ve seen websites that will tell give you a financial value of your network. I’m not sure how accurate they can really be, but the reality is that these kinds of groups are starting to hold more and more value beyond simply marketing.
Organizations can raise thousands–sometimes tens of thousands–of dollars through their blogs. These gifts will most often come at the micro level in amounts of $10 and $20. But when they are added together, they are significant. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, a fan base in many ways starts to act more like a single person than you would think. Should we start treating our online fan bases as major donors?
In order to cultivate your fan base, you will use many of the traditional relationship management techniques you would use in traditional moves management or major gifts fundraising. You will go into your online community and find leaders that you can use to encourage other readers to comment or give, in much the same way that you would in a fundraising campaign. Based on past experience and what you hear from your readers, you will tailor future messages to topics that interest them but are strategic to your organization. If you take too long in responding to a comment or are irregular about posting, you lose the loyalty of your readers. You need to stay in touch with your fan base in much the same way that you need to stay in regular touch with your donors.
What do you think? It is kind of a crazy idea to say that you can treat a group of people in a similar way that you would one person. And it is a little bit of a crazy idea to start thinking of that group in major gifts terms. If you are a fellow blogger, I’d love your thoughts regarding if this is something that you have observed as well.
Related posts:
- What is a Fan Base?
- More on All Donors as Major Donors
- All Donors as Major Donors
- Major Gifts or Middle Giving
- Organizing Your Donors
Major Gifts or Middle Giving
Apr 28th
Major Gifts fundraising traditionally provides the largest amount of fundraising dollars for an organization. With a capital campaign and most of our traditional major gifts cultivation techniques we are seeking to get the largest gift that we can from our wealthiest donors. I wonder if there might be a different way.
Think about the number of people in your city that can give a gift of a hundred thousand dollars. How many of them do you actually know? Now think about the number of people that could give a gift of a thousand dollars. How many do you know now? I suspect you could come up with a handful of names that could give a hundred thousand dollars and if you’re well connected maybe you actually know one or two of them. But, I imagine, you could think of hundreds of people that could give a regular $1,000 gift and in fact you probably even know well over 50 people in that category.
Is there a price point at which major gifts can see the very best results? I’d be interested in hearing from those of you in Major Gifts. Have you ever seen a middle giving program that has a higher ROI than a Major Gifts program? If you were to build a program with a shorter cultivation process for individual solicitations at the 1,000 level, is it possible that this could have a higher ROI than a traditional major gifts program?
Related posts:
- A Day in the Life of a Major Gifts Officer
- The Major Gifts Fundraising Myth
- Letters or In-Person Solicitations
- Online Giving Thoughts
- What Motivates Giving?
All Level Relationship Management
Mar 29th
This may sound familiar to some of our discussions on the topic of All Donors as Major Donors. We do a great job of cultivating and planning strategically with our major and principal donors, but what about everyone else, especially our community and entry level donors? Discussions about cultivating these large donor groups often do not happen because we lack the time to deal with them individually.
Using data mining, segmenting, and social media tools, we can be more intentional and personal. Keeping your database up-to-date with important pieces of information can be extremely helpful. We use geographical, topical, and giving trends to segment our donor pool into groups for whom we can craft strategic and personal messages. For example, we have a special message for new donors or those from a specific area. Then we think intentionally about what themes and stories might appeal to that group and call a few to ask questions about what messages resonate with them.
Social media cultivation feels more like working with a crowd than an individual. Only a few of the many people you connect with will ever respond to the messages you are sending out. Often you will not know who has a dissenting opinion or if someone doesn’t like a direction you are going in until you are already moving in that direction. With social media the value is in the donor interaction. Overall the best way to work with a social community is to be consistent in how you engage them and to encourage thought leaders to help you positively distribute your message.
Related posts:
- Moves Management or Relationship Management
- Taking Ownership on Your Projects
- Join an Interactive Community?
- Getting a Hold of People
- What’s a Lead
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