The Active Donor

One of the times I’ve been angriest in my career as a fundraiser, actually in my life, was when someone  working at a charity said the following.  To my face.

“They’re just the Face to Face donors.  They’re not engaged with what we do, most of them probably don’t event know who they’re giving to.”

After I’d been sedated and had time to think, I realised that this is probably the way in which many people in NGOs think of F2F donors. There are some common, but deadly, misconceptions about the donors that fuel our organisations work. This include

• Most don’t know much about the work the charity does.
• They care very little our the work we do, they don’t share the same values
• Many don’t even know the organisations they donate to.

Although there is an element of truth to some of these claims (see the left hand side of the bell curve of engagement) it does an enormous discredit to vast numbers of people.  Part of this attitude comes from negative views on the methodology of F2F, assumptions that people are bullied into signing, or only join because they fancy the fundraiser.

However, we can’t lay the blame for these attitudes solely on others.  The way in which we treat donors reinforces this idea, when there’s the opportunity to do so much more.

In general terms, our communication do little or nothing to encourage anything other than sit back and not cancel. We send them magazines and newsletters telling them how great we are, and, if we’re better at our job, how great they are. We call them up and ask them for more money or to update their details, but none of this invites them to do anything more.  The thing is that we can and we should.

Do not underestimate what kind of a commitment making a monthly gift is.  Admittedly some donors won’t notice the gift going out each month, but declines tell us that a good percentage of our donors don’t have enough money in the account or on their card to complete the donation.  They are committing their last cents to our cause.   If they are doing all they can financially so why limit them to just a financial contribution. Imagine if we tapped into the enthusiasm and asked them to take a small action. Something easy and immediate other than donating that helps attain your organisational  goals: sign a petition, send a postcard to send off, tell a friend about the charity.

Not everyone will take the action of course, as with any call to action there are going to be a majority of people who say no, or who cant be bothered or who forget.  But imagine if just 5% of your donor base wrote to their MP about an issue you’re campaigning on, or encouraged one of their friends to sign up as well. For many charities this would be a sea change in what they can achieve.

On top of that as well imagine the possibilities for retention.  When donors do something other than give you money, the more they are engaged.  The more they engage, the longer they stay, the more likely they are to increase their gift, the more they are likely to remember you in their will. When donors move on being active they become much more than RG donors, they start to become an integral part of your fundraising strategy and even your organisation.

However, all of this requires a change of thinking however and possibly one outside of just the fundraising department.  There needs to be shift in viewing the donor as sitting in an armchair not remembering that they’re giving to you, to someone standing on the front line of your protest, telling their friends that they give to you. And the paradigm shift is only the beginning, when you’re looking at your donor base in this way, the entire way in which you communicate with them changes. It becomes more interactive, more frequent, more inspiring and yes, more work.  But the rewards more than make up for it.

Five Basic Ingredients For Making Your RG Program A Club

You’ve probably noticed that most of the posts so far have been about bringing a donor on board, starting their relationship with your organisation.  You’ve probably been thinking that this is symptom of the fact that I come from a donor recruitment perspective.  You’d be right, I think. But you also know that starting a donors journey is, in every sense, the only beginning of the story; the first date in what we hope will become a long and loving marriage. If you’ll allow me to change the direction of my metaphors for a second, one of the best ways to keep a donor on board is to make them feel part of something, a movement, a club, a tribe.Here are some of the cornerstones of what you should give donors in order to build  an effective club.

Give it a name: One day there I’ll write a post on my favourite program names.  They’re an important part of giving your donor tribe an identity. Some of my favourites include Amnesty’s “Human Rights Defender”, Greenpeace’s old “Rainbow Warriors” program name (I may be making this up, but I think that’s what it was called) and Fred Hollow’s Foundation’s “Miracle Club”.  I’ve also seen ideas floating around about different clubs for different levels of giving, for example giving $25 p/m makes you silver member, $35 turns you into gold.

Give them a card: Someway of demonstrating that they’re a member to themselves and to others. Keep it as exclusive as possible something that only donors can have.  There are arguments for membership cards giving donors discounts at shops etc… use these with extreme caution.  Depending on where you’re based their may be legal issues, and it potentially detracts from why people are giving in the first place.

Talk to them: In terms of outbound communication you shouldn’t need to be told again that it’s important to write to the donor not about the organisation (If you do need to be told again, may I introduce you to Messers Ahern, Brooks and Burnett).  The best clubs will let their members know about whats going on in the right manner and at the right time. Also the best clubs know its important to listen to their members and you should encourage feedback from your donors. Ensure that the people who pick up the phone to your people want to talk to them and be helpful. Ensure emails, tweets and Facebook posts are answered.

Give them a place to meet: From scout huts to Gentlemen’s clubs the greatest clubs crate places for their members to interact. It’s not something that has yet caught on with donation programs due to practical issues such of finding somewhere to fit  10,000 plus people. But 21st century technology is all about bringing people together. One if the best ideas that’s been floating around recently is that of closed Facebook groups for donors.

Give them other something to do: Encourage  your donors to write letters, run raffles, bake cakes, sizzle sausages. The more actions they take for your cause, people like two contribute so give them opportunities to do so. Not only do the community actions keep the donor engaged and giving, but they also bring in extra support for your cause, in terms of funding or activism

There are of course many more of these ideas and not all of these are the right fit for everyone. The engagement of donors becomes increasingly important in world where consumer opinion drives performance.  A club helps give a sense of belonging, which helps retain your supporters year in and year out.