Future Fundraising Now

Focus on your donors, and you can't go wrong

by guest blogger George Crankovic

Whenever some new technology like email or blogs or Twitter bursts onto the scene, it's almost immediately hailed as a revolution that will rewrite all the rules and change forever how funds are raised. It's inevitable.

It's also almost as inevitable that, looking back, all the hoopla will seem a bit silly. I mean, QR codes printed on direct mail envelopes? Did someone really think that would work?

Sure, people are naturally drawn to the shiny object, the next big thing, the newest, most wow-inducing technology. That's just the way it is. But if you get caught up in a fad just for its novelty, you risk trouble.

That's why it's better to lean toward things that treat your donors right. Even if they're old hat. No matter what new thing comes down the pike, you'll always do well by focusing on donors -- those things you can count on to build solid, lasting relationships with your donors. Here are three of the main ones:

1. Send gift acknowledgements. This is so important, it needs to be a way of life. When you make a habit of sending your donors thank you letters and emails that gush with gratitude, you create the strong relationships that build retention. But even more than that, you're saying that honoring your donors' generosity is a value that your organization lives by. And that means you're doing work that you can feel good about too.
2. Report back. This is another big one. It's vital to make a habit of reporting back to donors about how their gifts are making a difference. It could be in newsletters, appeals, social media, on your website, or in other channels. Doing this on a consistent basis will give your donors the satisfaction that they want from their giving — the knowledge that their money is doing good. But it also keeps you focused on outcomes, so you'll always be on the lookout for those stories, photos, and other information that really showcases what you're doing on your donors' behalf. Which is exactly where attention should be in your donor communications.
3. Stay donor focused. When you're building appeals, it's easy to fall back on statistics, program descriptions, stock photos, and other less-than-compelling content. Instead, in your donor communications, always zero in on the opportunity to do good that you're presenting to the donor and the offer you're making. Everything flows from that. Being donor focused even extends to things like keeping your website easy to navigate and getting names and addresses right. Donor focus is essential to good fundraising. It's far too important to be anything less than a fundamental that you come back to again and again.

Funny thing about these basic approaches to donors -- once they're firmly established, you can almost forget about results. That's because when you're doing the right thing day in and day out, the results just take care of themselves.

Podcast: Getting the most out of survey research

Survey research can lead your fundraising badly astray. Focus groups can kill the strongest fundraising programs. If you use them wrongly. There are great ways to use qualitative research to best your knowledge and inform your strategies. Find out some of the pitfalls as well as the gold nuggets of surveys and focus groups.

To listen, click here to download the audio file or visit the Fundraising Is Beautiful page here, where you'll find several listening and subscription options.

Or subscribe with iTunes:

Love donors if you want them to love you

Have you ever known a nonprofit organization where a sneering disdain for donors is cultivated?

I have. It's not pretty. They take the donors' money, of course, but they don't like the way donors think and behave. They spend a lot of time trying to "educate" donors into responding to a different style of fundraising. They seek new demographic slices that will "get it" better than the current crop.

You can imagine how fundraising goes in such organizations. It's a struggle. And I can hardly imagine a less rewarding career than trying to motivate people you don't really care for to do good deeds.

It's critical that you love your donors. The Veritus Group blog makes the case at Are YOU in Love?

Loving the donor means working to build a culture of philanthropy within your organization that uplifts the donor. In this kind of workplace culture, everyone from the janitor to the CEO understands that donors are part of the mission.

And that means loving real donors, not fantasy donors you wish you had. Being a great fundraiser means, for most of us, loving older people who have an old-fashioned aesthetic and respond to simplistic messages. Cherishing them for the treasure they are. Being thankful for them -- and to them.

Anyone who doesn't do that isn't really a fundraiser.

Will you make this your Year of the Donor?

Network for Good Non-Profit Marketing Blog has some suggestions for you at 7 Ways to Make 2014 the Year of the Donor:

1. Have a solid plan.
2. Send an amazing thank you.
3. Keep the conversation going.
4. Clearly articulate your impact.
5. Invite donors for their feedback.
6. Regularly test and improve.
7. Create feel-good moments.

I hope you'll make 2014 the Year of the Donor. Because when you see how doing so improves your fundraising results, I think you'll make 2015 another Year of the Donor. And every year after that.

Making the donor your focus is the best way to succeed at fundraising.

The fundraising book you need right now

If you haven't yet read The Fundraiser's Guide to Irresistible Communications, now would be a good time.

I know that because you're reading this blog. And probably several others too. That shows you to be the kind of fundraiser who wants to get it right, whose eyes are open.

Here's what The Fundraiser's Guide can do for you: Help you jump to the top of the fundraiser's learning curve. Skip the mistakes that just about everybody makes.

Or it can help you persuade your boss or other people who are making your work less effective that there really are best practices in fundraising you it's better when you follow them.

This book is for someone like you.

Want to know more? Check out these posts:

What critics have said about The Fundraisers Guide

What more critics have to say

A look at what's inside

Better now than later!

Here's where to buy it:

• Buy it on Amazon -- where it's slightly discounted and you may get free shipping
• Amazon.co.uk
• from the publisher -- probably your best bet if you need multiple copies.

Here's a powerful way to get your envelope noticed and opened

After the call to action, the element of a direct mail piece that matters most for response is the outer envelope. If you want to move the needle in direct mail response, test changes to the envelope.

Here's something to consider when you're thinking about that envelope: copy and design are not the only elements you can work with. The envelope is a physical object, and you can change the physical properties of it, and that can be a very effective way to improve your fundraising results.

Let's look at a few envelopes from Uncle Maynard's Treasure Trove that do more than put ink on paper to stand out:

The image on this Paralyzed Veterans of America mailing is pressed onto the paper. It may not look like much here, but in real life, it's quite impressive and unusual. Stands out in the mail, and I bet it's worth the additional cost.

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This envelope from United States Fund for UNICEF is oversized, a heavy stock, almost cardboard, with raised "blobs" all over it. We can be very sure there's not anything else in the mailbox like it.

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This envelope from Smile Train takes a different approach. The angel image and the copy to its right are "gold foil," not brown as they appear in this scan. The gold is basically a special extra color of ink (a 5th color on this piece). Not cheap. But quite possibly worth the additional cost.

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Texture can add meaningful cost to your mailing. Cost that may or may not be borne by the lift in response. That's why it's smart to seek less expensive ways of getting that extra push.

You can always fake a texture, as this mailing from CARE does. It looks like it has a cloth-like texture, but it's just a pattern printed on the envelope. That's not as stand-out as a real texture -- but it's a lot cheaper. It might be a good trade-off.

Bottom line: consider adding texture or other unique elements to make your envelopes pop out in the mail. And if you already have texture, you really should test fake texture to learn whether the extra costs carries its weight.

More from the Trove

When you partner with me, we'll have more impact (word aversion)

The word partner used as a verb annoys me. It's fingernails-on-a-chalkboard awful to my ears. Every time I see it, I want to grab the fattest, juiciest, darkest red pen I can find and cross it out in a definitive way. If you really want to bug me, invite me to "partner" with you on some project. No matter how cool your project is, I already hate it.

That's a common affliction among writers and other word-oriented people. We have aversions to certain words. And our aversions can be so deep that seeing or hearing certain words can ruin our whole day.

Another word the a lot of people hate is impact. That one doesn't bother me, but I can see their point: It's an officious, soulless abstraction that propagates in mindless business meetings where people are required to talk but not allowed to think.

A post at the Macmillan Dictionary Blog takes an interesting look at word aversions and advises tolerance (How does 'impact' impact you?):

We have a tendency to generalize from our feelings, leaping too easily from "I dislike this usage" to "This is wrong" or even "No one should ever say this anywhere." It's natural that we would want to universalize our preferences, but it's not very reasonable or practical. Better to examine why we might object to a legitimate word.

The word you hate may not be an appropriate candidate for banishment from all human discourse.

If a word is something real people in your audience say, if it's something that has meaning and resonance for them -- you should at least consider letting it by.

Fundraising is not about you and your preferences. It's about your donors.

Thanks to @GrammarGirl for the tip.

Make your website work

From npENGAGE, a quick check-up for a solid, functioning website: 10 Must-Have Elements for Nonprofit Websites. Make sure you have these things:

1. Contact page
2. "About us" section
3. Information for donors
4. Online donations system
5. Blog
6. Photos and portfolio
7. Social media widget
8. Testimonials
9. Volunteer or career opportunities
10. Newsletter signup

(I'm not sold on the need for a blog. That may not be worth the trouble for everyone.)

Results may climb when you make it rhyme

Here's a copywriting technique that just might improve your fundraising results: Make your copy rhyme.

According to a recent study reported at Neuromarketing (Save Time, Persuade with Rhyme!) says, "Statements that rhyme are more persuasive than the same statements without rhyme."

People remember and believe aphorisms like An apple a day keeps the doctor away or Haste makes waste much better than similar bits of folks wisdom that don't rhyme.

And that applies broadly across almost all types of discourse. Including fundraising.

You don't need to go all Wordsworth in your copy. Very simple rhymes can have the punch you're looking for. Like this St. Jude banner ad.

Give and live have to be irresistible for fundraisers looking for rhymes. Go ahead and use them. (St. Jude doesn't own the rhyme!)

There are other types of rhyming that cab have the same positive effect:

• Forced rhyme: When the sound match is not exact (men/friend)
• Assonance: matching vowel sounds (green/street)
• Consonance: matching consonants at beginnings of the (hungry/homeless) or the end (sing/long)

There's a reason poets use these techniques. You can too.

Things that make your website fail

Here are some things not to do if you want a functioning website, from MarketingProfs: Destroy Your Website in 13 Easy Steps. Don't let these things happen:

1. It's all about you.
2. Buy an email list.
3. Never mind mobile.
4. Add keywords and jargon.
5. Add more stuff to your homepage.
6. Don't use an editor.
7. Save money on hosting.
8. Give Google the finger (Don't optimize for search.)
9. Install lots of plugins.
10. Let interns run your social media.
11. Don't test your lead generation form.
12. Lose track of your domain registration.
13. Kill it before it's born.

In my experience, the surest and most common killer of nonprofit websites is poorly designed and poorly functioning giving (or sign-up) pages (#11).