Yesterday I talked about the importance of loving your donors. Here are some specific things you can do to show them you care:
- Thank donors for the same things you asked them for. (If you asked them to feed a hungry child, don't thank them for fighting world poverty.)
- Write and design your thanks just as much passion and precision as you write your ask. More, if possible.
- Have a newsletter, and make sure it's all about the great things your donors make possible.
- Don't have a braggy, look-at-us brand. Build your brand around the concrete ways your donors can change the world by giving to your organization.
- Give donors choices about how -- how often and what type -- you'll communicate with them. And don't wait for them to complain. Offer choices up front.
I also urge you do spread a sense of donor-worship in your organization by doing things like these:
- Everyone should reach out to donors regularly, just to thank them. Most of us only encounter cranky, disgruntled donors when they complain. We don't see the delightful side of most typical donors.
- Spread the stories of especially heroic donors. Not just the gratifyingly large gifts, but those who gave in notable and sacrificial ways.
