Future Fundraising Now

20 ways to make your donation page a lot more effective

A lot of online donations don't happen because donation pages get in the way of the donor's intention to give.

Here's a super-helpful post that can keep that from happening to your donors, from the Bloomerang Blog, at 20 Best Practices to Optimize Your Nonprofit Donation Page:

1. Choose the right online fundraising platform. Make sure your platform can do what you need to keep donors on track! This is a combination of user interface and back-end tech that really needs to be good.
   
2. Include a compelling reason to give. The page needs to remind the person who has landed there why they are there.
   
3. Describe how donations make an impact. Connect donation amounts with specific activities.
   
4. Brand the donation page to your organization. A page that looks like it's part of some other website will lose donors fast!
   
5. Only ask for necessary information. Sure, you'd love to get their phone number and 17 pieces of demographic information -- but asking for those things will cause donors to abandon. Only as for what you really need to have.
   
6. Make your donation form mobile responsive. If your donation page doesn't work on a phone, it doesn't work!
   
7. Make your donation page accessible. Be respectful of all donors by making sure it conforms to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
   
8. Consider making your giving form a multi-step process. Rather than have one huge page for the entire transaction, consider breaking it up into a few smaller steps.
   
9. Offer suggested giving amounts. Donors are looking for guidelines on what they should give.
   
10. Enable recurring donations. Make it easy for donors to give monthly. Their value skyrockets when they do that.
    
11. Spotlight matching gifts. Make it easy for donors to apply employer matches if they have them.
    
12. Offer multiple payment options. You may be able to encourage a larger donation by making it easy to break it up into more than one payment.
    
13. Embed your giving page into your website. Don't make people leave your site to give. Many won't do it.
    
14. Use a secure payment processor.
    
15. Provide information about donor portals. On your donation confirmation page or follow-up email, show donors how to set up a giving account and describe the benefits of doing so.
    
16. Ask supporters how they heard about your organization. But make it "optional."
    
17. Optimize your donation confirmation page. Make sure it has a human-sounding thank-you, along with social sharing buttons and other ways to get involved.
    
18. Use your donation page to collect donor information.
    
19. Promote your donation page on all online platforms. It's the page you really want people to visit. Include links in social media posts, email footers, and any other place you can think of. In print, include a QR code that leads to that page.
    
20. Encourage supporters to share your giving page. Make it easy for donors to share their connection with you with their own network.,
    

The post is packed with specifics and examples. Don't miss it. It could have an important impact on your fundraising!

Why would anyone keep reading these letters?

I was digging through Uncle Maynard's Treasure Trove of Direct Mail Knowledge, looking for a great story I could use as an example of effective storytelling.

It was discouraging, because it took a long time to find what I was looking for. I eventually found an incredibly wonderful story, I'm glad to say.

But I found quite a lot of letters that started so un-promisingly all I could ask was this: Why the heck would anyone keep reading this?

Here are three beginnings of letters:

Dear Friend in Christ,

Children are our most vulnerable brothers and sisters. As we work to embody their humble and loving qualities in our daily lives, we also have a responsibility to help protect them as they grow.

How many people will be drawn in by philosophical speculation on our responsibilities toward children? Answer: Almost none. Remember, direct mail is a quick-hit medium. It's often read with the recycle bin at hand. To survive that harsh reality, your message has to engage readers with action.

Dear Neighbor,

Our Meals on Wheels Program was created around one central idea: our neighbors here in Seattle and King County should not be left alone and hungry as they grow old.

Do you really think Uncle Maynard has been wondered why your Program was created? He's more likely than most to give a rip. But even Uncle Maynard is far more interested in what he can do to make the world a better place.

Dear Friend,

Even in the most difficult situations, hope can overcome despair.

That's not just wishful thinking -- it's the daily experience of over 31,000 Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) staff who act to deliver lifesaving emergency medical care to people trapped in desperate circumstances.

Most people probably agree that hope can overcome despair. That's nice. But why would that mild commonplace wisdom engage anyone. Even more, why would the number of MSF staff be of any interest at all?

These three letter beginnings share a quality that's all too common in fundraising: Navel gazing.

They assume people want to be told about themselves and their thoughts and speculations.

They're like that guy we've all encountered who starts the conversation with something like, Let me tell you about my trip to Belize....

Sometimes the trip to Belize turns out to be interesting. Usually not. But the problem, either way, is he thinks the purpose of the conversation is to fill your head with information about him.

You know that guy, right?

Don't be that guy in your fundraising!

Start your letter by talking to the donor about the donor. About the problem she can help solve. About the difference she can make. About her values and her importance in the world.

Don't tell her how cool your organization is. Don't try to lead her into your wandering thoughts on why we should care about your cause. She already cares ... it's up to you to show her why and how she can take action.

That's what will give her a reason to keep reading. And why she just might respond.

More from the Trove

(This post first appeared on August 17, 2017.)

When your fundraising story is not story at all

Read this excerpt from a direct mail appeal:

This has the hallmarks of a story.

There's a protagonist (Mary). There's conflict (her situation as a teen mother). There are lots of details.

Yet it's really not a story at all, at least not a fundraising story.

What this story lacks is the main ingredient of stories: Drama.

It says, "This is a dangerous situation for mothers like Mary and their babies." This is an abstract presentation of the situation. Instead, it should dramatize the danger. Make the reader "feel" the danger on an emotional level.

This story is an "explainer." It shows readers a situation in some detail. In hopes, I guess, that when people understand the situation, they'll want to support the project.

Which is not how fundraising works.

Donor's don't give when they understand. They give when they feel.

Explainer stories don't take most people to feeling.

The fundraising story of Mary would be different in these ways:

• We'd learn more about Mary as a person. Her hopes, fears, and pain.
  
• There would be more concrete details about Mary and her situation.
  
• We'd know less about how the program works, and a lot more about what it does. (Donors aren't paying for your processes; they're paying for your outcomes.)
  
• There would not be a happy ending. There'd be no real ending at all, because we're asking the donor to help create the happy ending.
  

The purpose of fundraising stories is to touch the heart of the reader. Not to teach her a lesson about how your program works.

Understanding often follows charitable giving. It rarely leads to it.

(This post first appeared on August 29, 2017.)

How putting your opinions aside can help you raise a lot more money

Does the logic of prompting people to give by sending them coins bother you?

I understand. I don't get it either.

But here's the thing: In many cases, it works. It works very well.

That's right: It's stupid, annoying, and infuriatingly illogical ... and it works. Sometimes.

This is how you become a real fundraiser: You leave your preferences at the door. You question your logic. You ignore your pet-peeves.

Because those things don't give you useful information about fundraising.

The true professional fundraiser keeps an open mind and a spirit of curiosity and looks at odd techniques like sending coins -- and seeks the facts.

And you learn amazing things about donors. Like they respond to cashable checks. Dollar bills. Or coins, as in piece, sent by Help Heal Veterans:

The fact that they work doesn't mean they work for everyone. In fact, sometimes they don't really work for those who use them.

Here's how it goes when you send money to get money:

• Response goes up.
  
• Average gift goes down.
  
• Donor retention goes down.
  
• Cost goes up.
  

Do the math. Is the lift in response big enough?. Are the hits to average gift, retention, and cost minor enough? There's a good chance it doesn't pencil out for you. So you don't do it.

But maybe the numbers look promising. Then you should consider testing. Grit your teeth, hold your nose, and try it. It still might not work, but at least you'll know it's not right for you.

Leave the rants about the stupidity and illogic of it to the amateurs.

Be one of the professionals who works based on facts, not your opinions.

More from the Trove

(This post first appeared on July 17, 2017.)

What your donors want from you

We know what we want from donors.

It's funding to power our organization and change the world.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. If you want the funding, you need to give something in return. But what?

Here are some great thoughts from the Veritus Group Blog, at Four Things That All Donors Want:

1. To be known. Probably every human on this planet has a secret worry that hardly anyone knows who they are or really cares about them. It haunts us all. And it's often fed by the way we get treated by corporations and (sadly) the nonprofits we support. When we send irrelevant fundraising that's all me-me-me and no "you can do" -- we support that dreadful hypothesis that they aren't known. It's even worse when we fail to thank them for giving. Or thank them in a perfunctory, sloppy way. Let your donor know she matters to you and is known by you!
   
2. To be treated as a partner. Are you donors just a source of cash? Or are they valued partners in your shared mission to make the world a better place? Show them which one they are with donor-focused fundraising that's abut what they can do -- not how awesome you are!
   
3. To be told the truth. Never stretch the truth, even a tiny little bit. Be open, clear, and honest all the time. You owe that to your donors.
   
4. To know their gift made a difference. Your donors are afraid their donation is not important, doesn't accomplish anything, and isn't appreciated. Show them otherwise. Thank them promptly, with real emotion. And keep reporting back to them the amazing things they've helped make happen.
   

Those are things your donors hope to get from their giving. Far too often, they aren't getting those things. If you are one of the few who are meeting their needs, they will keep responding to you.

That's the secret.

Why your donors feel a connection -- if they do

The reason your donors donate may surprise you. It's not necessarily the same reason you think it should be. It's almost always for emotional reasons -- not the iron-clad rational reasons you may be putting out there. Here's a helpful look at this sometimes missed connection from Gail Perry's Blog, at What is Your Donor’s Emotional Connection?

Fundraisers approach donors far too intellectually and neglect the emotional connection.... Most donors have a specific reason for wanting to support a nonprofit. And it has to do with how they FEEL about their organization’s work. It’s all about their personal values- what they believe in and what they hold dear.

It's hard to see through someone else's eyes, especially when the view is different. But it's the secret to effective fundraising.

4 hallmarks of donor-focused communications [PODCAST]

Do you ever wonder if your donor communications are truly donor-focused? Check what you’re saying against this list:

1. Donors are the heroes of most of the stories you tell.
   
2. Donors get prompt, detailed, and frequent information about the impact of their giving.
   
3. Donors has control over how you communicate with them.
   
4. Design is appropriate for donors — not aimed at internal audiences.
   

From the archives of the now-defunct podcast Fundraising Is Beautiful. This episode first aired on July 18, 2014. Listen here:

(If you don't see the audio player below, click here to listen.)

Do you want partners or admirers?

Here's the opening line of a direct mail fundraising piece I just got:

Thanks to the steadfast support of our donors and volunteers, the hard work of our staff, and the bravery of our clients, [Organization] is thriving.

It goes on like that. Most of the letter is the story of someone the organization helped. The story has a satisfying ending. They did a great job, and they're justly proud.

This organization wants people like me to think they're competent, on top of things, and doing great work.

Which I do.

The theory, I suppose, is that people who admire an organization are more likely to donate. That's no doubt true, up to a point. A natural response to this letter would be: Keep up the good work!

That's nice. But it's not why the organization went to the trouble and expense of sending me a letter. They were hoping I'd donate. I know because they included a reply device.

Thing is, they've given no reason to donate.

If they want donations, they need to seek partners, not admirers.

Partners who want to join you in solving a problem they care about. To do that, you need to show them the problem, and how they can be part of the solution. It's best if you give them a sense of what their donation can do by putting a "price tag" on their part of the solution. And your the story you tell should be about a problem waiting for a solution -- not something you've already taken care of.

It's nice to have admirers. But admiration is at least a step away from a donation.

Seek partners.

Why donor-focused fundraising doesn't work

Almost everyone says donor-focused fundraising is a good thing.

But look into what exactly donor-focused fundraising means, and one of your most common findings will be this:

So-called donor focused-fundraising is fundraising with a style and approach that the fundraiser feels good about.

Which isn't donor-focused at all.

In fact, it's probably donor-ignoring. Possibly even anti-donor fundraising.

When you really focus on donors, you slam straight into the truth that you aren't your donors and your donors aren't you -- thus aiming at them means missing yourself. And vice-versa.

True donor-focused fundraising will probably not appeal to you. That's one of the ways you can tell when you're getting it right: It's not tickling your fancy. It seems corny, simplistic, and old-fashioned.

Donor-focused fundraising really is the love-fest it's cracked up to be. Just not in the way many fundraisers want.

(This post first appeared on April 26 2017.)

The envelope has 2 sides -- you can use both

From commercial direct marketing, a lesson in envelope design.

Here's the front. Not too promising. They don't even care who gets it, as long as they're at this address. Yawn.

I'm about to recycle it. But then I turn it over and see the back:

Whoa! It suddenly got a lot more interesting! Who'd throw away actual money?

Every envelope has two sides. Both are likely to be see, even by recipients who mean to throw the piece away. And if they're even considering opening it, they'll spend more time looking at the back than the front.

Use both sides for best direct mail results!

(Reality check: They wanted me to fill out a survey about my TV viewing habits. Back to yawn. I didn't respond. Oh well.)