Author: Jim Shapiro

Every donor has a story to tell.  And if she sent in a donation, then odds are her story aligns with the story of your organization, the people you serve or the cause you support.

Last month I had the opportunity to work with story telling guru Chris Davenport, the founder of the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference and 501c3 videos.  During our time together Chris unveiled an amazing “donor story-telling sequence” that helps you with acquiring new donors, cultivating your existing donors, and re-engaging your lapsed donors.

Chris is a very generous person and has offered to send you a pdf that outlines the Donor Story Sequence.  Just click here to download it.  Check it out!

Your donors are people that care about your mission, they care about your work, and they care about the people you serve.  They care about all of this so much that they are even willing to send you money so that your good work can continue!

But if this relationship is going to continue for months and years to come, then you need to know what your donors are asking for in return for their financial gifts.

Here’s a short list of what I believe your donors are asking for:

1. They want to be thanked for their gift.
2. They want to be appreciated for playing a role in fulfilling your mission.
3. They want to be part of a larger community of like-minded people who believe in your work and support your cause.
4. They want to feel like they made a difference in the life of a person in need.

If you follow the Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat communication rhythm, and follow the best-practices for each step, you’ll give your donors what they want.

And specifically, your donors will actually ask for your newsletter.  They’ll love seeing and reading their Report on the amazing things that happened because they gave a gift.

Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat helps you build trust with your donors.  This trust opens the door to future donations and a strong relationship with your donors.

I recently asked some successful fundraisers how Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat had improved their fundraising.  Here’s how that came about, and what they said.

Over the last 6 months I had the opportunity to teach Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat to a group of fundraising professionals from Yakima, Washington via a 4-part training series.

When I first started this training, most people in the room had never heard of Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat.  By the time I had finished the training, most of the people in the room were more successful fundraisers and had implemented much of what they had learned from our time together.

During our last session together I asked for people to share their success stories.  I was encouraged by what I heard:

• Newsletters were changed from being a report about the organization into reports of what the donor accomplished because they made a gift.
• More asks were made in person and via direct mail. The end result was more money was raised!
• Several organizations improved their thanking process by writing thank you notes, making phone calls and scheduling personal visits donors who recently made a gift.

The common theme in the room was that more money was raised and more donors retained because of the Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat fundraising rhythm!

At some point in your fundraising career you will be asked to raise money to fund a capital project. When this opportunity comes your way it’s important know that successful capital campaigns are built on three key elements:

1. Strategy — If you expect to raise money for your capital project you must have a clearly defined project scope. This includes detailed budgets, design, and construction timelines.
2. Funding — Most capital projects require funding beyond just how much money you raise for the project. This includes potentially using cash reserves or taking out a loan. It is important for your leadership to answer financial questions before you start raising money for the project.
3. Communication — Capital campaigns typically fall short of their fundraising goal because they communicate the wrong things at the wrong time to the wrong people. Successful capital campaigns implement a communication plan that communicates the strategy and funding needs to the largest donors, in private, first.

Now that you know these three elements, you have the basic framework you need to help your next capital campaign succeed.

Being good at fundraising is a knowledge issue, not a talent issue.

This means that you can learn all you need to know about fundraising by listening and learning from fundraising experts that have gone before you.

To get you started on the path to learning, consider these simple fundraising truths:

1. Talk less about your organization, your programs, and your process. Talk more about your beneficiaries, your donors and how your donors can help someone in need by making a donation today.
2. Communicate more often with your donors. Most organizations don’t communicate often enough with their donors. You can increase donor retention and their giving by increasing the number of times you communicate with them throughout the year.
3. When asking your donors for a gift, ask them to solve a problem that is easy to understand. When you simplify and clarify your fundraising ask, your donors are more likely to make a gift.

Use these three fundraising truths to build your knowledge base.  I’d encourage you to dig deeper into this blog, our videos and other fundraising training resources as you seek to build your fundraising knowledge.

Valentine’s day has come and gone.  And hopefully you told your donors that you and your beneficiaries love them!

Now the question is; have you told them again this month?  And what’s your plan for the month after that?  Valentine’s day should serve as a great reminder to love your donors, not only this month for the rest of the calendar year and beyond.

Your donors are giving from their emotions and heart to help someone in need.  It is your job to thank them promptly and emotionally for their gift.  Here’s how you do it:

• The first thing your donor receives after making a gift is your receipt package. Is your receipt letter dry and boring, or is it full of emotion and appreciation?  Think of your receipt packages as the first love letter back to your donor.  Make them full of emotion about what the donor has done (given a gift), not about what your organization does (which is what most receipt packages say).
• The next response to your donor is a thank you letter. This is a separate piece of customized and personalized communication.  Hand address the outer envelop, use personal stationary, delivers the letter using a real stamp. These little touches send the exact message you want to send to your donors.  You appreciate them and their donation mattered.
• We all love to receive gifts. So do your donors.  It is appropriate for you to know when their birthday is and send them a special gift.  Or, identify the date of their first donation to your organization anniversary and send them a gift then.  The takeaway here is to find natural times in the calendar year to send them a gift of thanks and appreciation.

These are just a few simple reminders to carry the heart of Valentine’s Day into your every day work with your donors.  When they know you really care about them, they are more likely to give more money and more often to the work you are doing.

Early in my career I was taught that a great fundraising professional should never have lunch alone.  Lunch is the most natural time of the day to meet with current and prospective donors.

Now, I love food and enjoy a great lunch.  But who really has the time in our fast paced lives to set a lunch appointment every day?

So, for the days you can’t have lunch with someone, I’ve evolved this thinking into 2016 and apply the “don’t send an email when you the phone will do” rule.

• When you pick up the phone to call your donors, it sends a strong message that you care enough about them to take the time to connect.
• Have you ever sent an email to a donor or co-worker to have it misunderstood or interpreted? Phone communication is much clearer since there is no need to translate your words, emotions or intentions.
• Most organizations aren’t taking the time to call their donors. They are caught up in the efficiency and bulk process of email and direct mail.

Your donors deserve better, especially your major donors.  Make the time to pick up the phone and connect with your donors on a personal level.