Category: Ask

Ask For What Your Donor Wants, Not For What Your Organization Wants

Steven Screen  |  Ask
Ask ?

Here’s successful fundraising in a nutshell.

Don’t ask your donor to do what you want her to do,

Instead…

Ask her to do what she wants to do.

Big difference.

Let me pull this apart for a moment…

“Asking your donor to do what you want her to do” is done with your organization in mind. It’s how you think about the action of your donor.

Here’s what this looks like:

“Will you please support us?”
“Join with us as we…”
“Will you partner with us?”
“Will you help us continue this good work?”

Notice who is primary in each example pulled from my files? The organization. They talk about the organization, first and foremost. Is the donor involved? Of course.

But it’s mostly about the organization. The organization doing its work.  

Make Your Ask About Your Donor

“Asking her to do what she wants to do” is done with your donor in mind. It’s talking to your donor about what she cares about in the way she thinks about it.

(Note that’s different than the way your organization thinks about it. This is why fundraising is so hard.)

Here’s what “asking your donor to do what she wants to do” looks like:

“Will you send X to one person today?”
“Will you make a difference for one person today?”
“Will you provide one person with an X?”

Notice that the organization isn’t even mentioned? Those examples are all about the donor, the beneficiary, what the donor’s gift will accomplish.

The next time you’re asking your donor to make a donation, don’t ask her to do what you want her to do. Don’t ask her to make a donation or to partner with your organization.

That’s about you. That’s about your organization.

Instead, tap into her story. She loves to help people and causes she loves.

So ask her to help a person!

It’s simple to understand, but hard to do; you’ll raise more money if you ask her to do something she already wants to do.

5 reasons the Myth of “Donor Fatigue” Persists

Steven Screen  |  Ask
Ask ?

Just a super quick reminder that “donor fatigue” – that mythical beast that haunts the futures of Fundraisers everywhere – doesn’t exist.

I’m neck-deep in donor data and fundraising performance all the time. And “donor fatigue” simply doesn’t exist for 99.9% of nonprofits.

But this mythical creature still affects the behavior of too many fundraisers. And without question, the fear of “donor fatigue” causes organizations to raise less money and do less good.

This is such a brutal fact that I’m going to repeat it: the fear of something that doesn’t exist – “donor fatigue” – causes hundreds of thousands of nonprofits to raise less money and do less good.

For the vast majority of nonprofits, letting “donor fatigue” affect your behavior is like not going outside because you might get hit by lightning.

I’ve identified 5 reasons that “donor fatigue” continues to haunt our sector and lower revenue. If you know of others, please share them with us. Here are my five:

  1. The complaints of a donor or three, occasionally a Board member, that your organization is asking for money too often.
  2. The fear that comes from thinking those complainers might speak for all your donors.
  3. The awkwardness some people feel about asking for money in the first place.
  4. The lack of understanding that nonprofits can be communicating to their donors far more often than they think.
  5. “Donor fatigue” is sometimes used as a scapegoat for bad fundraising. If an appeal or newsletter or campaign doesn’t work well, that elusive “donor fatigue” is blamed. Then no one has to feel bad, take responsibility, or learn from the mistake.

The first four items above are all real things. They matter.

But complaints and fears should not matter as much as the hundreds and thousands of additional gifts that will come in when you communicate with your donors more often about things they care about.

Look, if you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know we believe in Asking more – because all our data shows that it works like crazy, with almost zero negative consequences.

One of the reasons Better Fundraising has been so successful is that we show our clients how organizations their size are communicating to their donors more often and raising a lot more money doing it. (And of course there are other things an organization has to do well, but Asking more is a one of the biggest levers you can pull.)

So next time someone brings up “donor fatigue,” tell them that “donor fatigue” isn’t the problem. And don’t let “donor fatigue” be used as a reason or excuse in your organization.

Acknowledge the fear that caused “donor fatigue” to rear its hideous head, then move forward.

You owe it to your beneficiaries.

Your donors will thank you for it with increased engagement and giving.

You’ll love raising more money and getting to do more good

Ask More, Don’t Fear

Steven Screen  |  Ask
Ask ?

Let me share a fun fact with you: there’s an easy way to raise more money in 2019 with very little work. It’s worked for years, and it worked again in 2018…

Every one of our clients who Asked their donors for support more often in 2018 (compared to 2017) raised more net revenue than they did the year before.

And there were almost zero negative consequences. To be more specific, there was a complaint or two, a worry from a board member, and several unsubscribes from their email lists.

But those negatives were completely overwhelmed by the additional donors that were engaged and money that was raised.

The nervous fundraisers, EDs and organizations who weren’t sure whether they should do this were handsomely rewarded, with more net revenue for very little cost.

There were no breakouts of “donor fatigue.” No massive numbers of people unsubscribing.

These organizations just raised more money, were able to do more good, and learned more about their donors.

Which set them up for an even more successful 2019.

So in our continuing series of posts sharing what we saw that worked best in 2018, let me share this…

The easiest way to raise more is to Ask more often.

This means adding another appeal or two. Or more e-appeals.

Not replacing what you’ve been doing. In addition to what you’ve been doing.

Here’s an easy way to add an Ask:

  • Look at your fundraising calendar for 2019
  • Look for a gap where your donors don’t hear from you for a while
  • Think back through your most successful appeals and e-appeals last year (other than year-end)
  • Pick the most successful appeal that’s appropriate to send during the “gap” in your calendar, then create a version of that appeal to send in the gap.

What you’re trying to do here is add another appeal with the least amount of effort possible.

And if you want easy ways to improve all your appeals or e-appeals, download our free eBook, “Asks That Make Your Donors Take Action.”

Please Try It

Almost no one at conferences believes me when I say, “The easiest way to raise more money is to Ask a couple more times this year.”

Almost every organization has an awful, no-good, very-bad, organization-shackling assumption: that they can’t Ask their donors any more often than they already are.

It’s a bad assumption. Our clients have disproven it so many times I’ve lost track.

So please, try it. You can even just try it with an e-appeal, so there’s basically no cost. Track the results. Look at the expenses, the revenue, your retention rates, everything. You won’t see the negative consequences you fear.

And you’ll LOVE the amount of additional money you raise with very little work.

The Simple Shift in Perspective That Will Help You Raise More in 2019

Steven Screen  |  Ask
Ask ?

It’s the first week of 2019.

We’re spending the month blogging about what worked best in 2018.

And I want to start with one simple thing that’s done by every effective fundraising organization I know. They ask themselves the following question:

What did we do last year that worked best, and how can we do more of that this year?

That’s contrary to how, in my experience, most nonprofits think about their fundraising year:

  1. Either they “wipe the slate clean” and start over, inventing and creating new letters and themes and ideas all year long.
  2. Or they “do mostly what we did last year because that’s what we always do.”

But the most effective organizations all tend to do one thing you can learn from: they rigorously look for what worked the year before, then look for more times/places/channels to use their success.

Here’s what that looks like:

  • Your spring appeal worked great? Fantastic. Send an additional letter a month earlier, with the same offer, to see if it will work then, too.
  • You had a campaign that went really well? Add three more emails to that campaign in 2019, and try a smaller version of the campaign in a different season.
  • Did the three emails you sent at the year-end deadline work really well? Add a firm deadline to another campaign, and send three emails right at that deadline, too.

The Simple Perspective Shift

The big difference between these organizations and smaller shops is simple perspective.

The smaller shop tends to think that a success was great, and they don’t want to “wear it out” – they assume that it wouldn’t work again.

The more effective fundraising organizations think the success was great, they know that something it about engaged their donors and caused action (which the donors loved taking), and then they look for other opportunities to try the same approach as soon as possible.

If your organization will take the second approach, I basically guarantee you’ll raise more money in 2019 – and every year after that.

So go look at what worked well last year. Then look for ways to do more of it this year!

Don’t stress about your year-end emails, watch this video

Steven Screen  |  Ask
Don’t stress about your year-end emails, watch this video

It’s easier than you think to write year-end emails that work like crazy.

I’m talking about those three emails you send on the last days of the year that work so well.

If you are still working on your emails, here’s a short video I made for Movie Mondays with an easy template to follow for your year-end emails.

You’ll learn the five things you need to include, the order to put them in, and how to EASILY create your 2nd and 3rd emails.

Sneak peek: you only really need to write one email!

The video takes 7 minutes; you’ll save hours of time, and you’ll raise more money.

Pretty good deal, no?

So go watch the video!

Uncertain?

On a completely different subject, small nonprofits come to us all the time because they are uncertain.

Uncertain because they need to raise more money and they don’t know the best way to do it.

Uncertain because there are so many options for what they can do next… but no one at their organization has the experience to really know which one is best.

And they end up feeling stressed. (“Stressed” is putting it mildly, in many cases.)

It’s a joy to help those people! You should see their faces light up when we tell them the best thing for them to do next and why it will work.

If you’re uncertain about 2019 – or if you just want to take your fundraising to the next level – keep reading.

So how would it feel if you could hand off your problem to a team of experts who will solve it for you? A team who could create your fundraising communications in a way that would raise more money immediately and keep your donors for longer?

If you’re interested, go here and fill out a simple form. Takes two minutes.

There’s too much stress on small nonprofits already. So outsource your core fundraising communications to experts – that’s what our team does all day, every day.

If you work with us, your organization will raise more money by asking your donors to help your cause or beneficiaries in powerful ways. You’ll thank your donors in ways that show them how important they are to you. And you’ll retain more of your donors than ever because you’ll report back to donors so they see the good work (that you do) that their gift made possible.

All of it will follow the tested and proven Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat communication rhythm. Each piece of communication you send out will be easier to make because a) you won’t have to make it, and b) you will enjoy working on other important things while we make it for you!

So fill out the form. Find out more. Ditch your uncertainty and your stress. And if you sign up before the end of the year, you’ll save $3,500!

You’ll do less work, you’ll free up time to work on other important things, and your fundraising will raise more money.

Imagine starting 2019 knowing that your appeals, e-appeals, and newsletters are in great hands – and knowing you don’t have to do them yourself.

Say These Three Powerful Things

Steven Screen  |  Ask
Say These Three Powerful Things.

Here are three powerful phrases you should say directly to your donors.

We work these ideas into almost every appeal and e-appeal our clients send out. And I’m certain they’re a part of our clients’ success.

Here’s the list:

  1. “Your gift is needed”
  2. “You and your generosity make a real difference”
  3. “I’m thankful I can write to you about this”

Your donor almost never hears these things from the charities she supports!

And if you say them, you’ll raise more money. Let’s take them one by one.

“Your gift is needed”

Most nonprofits don’t ask directly for gifts. They’ll share a story of a person the nonprofit has already helped. They’ll talk about all the good work the nonprofit is already doing.

And then they’ll ask for “partnership” or “support.”

I’m here to tell you that you will raise more money if you directly say to your donors, “Your gift is needed right now.”

Your donors are hearing from lots of nonprofits today. Many of them are talking about the good work that the nonprofit has already done. But if you’re asking for a gift and if you make a good case for why her gift is needed today, and tell her that her gift is needed today, you’ll be overjoyed at the response you receive.

And your donors will love giving the gifts. Because they love to feel needed.

“You and your generosity make a real difference”

Again, this is something most donors never hear directly.

I think that nonprofits feel like they are saying this all the time. But they aren’t – they’re usually talking about what the organization has done, not what the donor has done.

So when you directly say to your donor, “You and your gift make a real difference,” you’ll probably be the only nonprofit in her portfolio that’s telling her.

When it comes time for her to give her next gift, do you think the nonprofit that’s made it incredibly clear to its donors that they and their gifts make a real difference has the best chance of getting that gift?

You bet.

“I’m thankful I can write to you about this”

This is one of those powerful ways you can show your donor that you don’t take her for granted.

Take off your “fundraiser” hat for a second and put your donor hat on.

Wouldn’t you love to hear, regularly, that the organization writing you is thankful even for the opportunity to write to you?

If they’re thankful to be able to write and talk to you, how thankful must they be when you give them a gift?

And if they are that thankful for you – if you mean that much to them – doesn’t that make you more likely to give them another gift?

Personally, I think this is such a powerful idea that I’ve put it in every appeal and e-appeal I’ve written recently.

You can think of all three of these ideas as clearly and quickly communicating ideas that matter to donors.

In today’s world of harder donor acquisition and dropping retention rates, isn’t telling your donor that she’s needed, that she makes a difference, and that you’re thankful for her – isn’t that more important than ever?

I believe it is. So I say it all the time. And it works.

Good Fundraising Habit #57: Always Give Your Donor Reasons to Give Now

Steven Screen  |  Ask
Good Fundraising Habit #57: Always Give Your Donor Multiple Reasons to Give Now

The appeal letters and e-appeals that do the best tend to have something in common: they give donors multiple good reasons to give a gift right now.

This highlights a really good habit to get into as a Fundraiser: any time you’re asking for money, give your audience multiple reasons to give a gift right now.

And here’s a list of “reasons to give today” that routinely cause donors to take action:

  • A matching grant with an expiration date
  • A deadline of any kind
  • A shortfall
  • A need facing beneficiaries or the organization right now
  • Telling donors they will love how they feel when they give
  • Stating what will happen if beneficiaries are not helped

Contrast this to what most nonprofit appeals and e-appeals do: tell a story about a person or thing the organization has already helped, and ask the donor to “continue this good work” or “join us as we do more of this.”

If you read those appeals carefully, you’ll see that there’s no reason that the donor’s help is needed today.

And if your donor had two appeals in her hand – and she has at least two on most days – which do you think she’d respond to? The one that asks her to “continue this good work” or the one that gives her several reasons why her gift is needed today?

You know the answer.

So for your next appeal or e-appeal, be sure to include multiple good reasons for your donor to respond immediately after reading it.

You’ll be glad you did because you’ll raise more money.

And believe it or not, your donors will be glad you did, too. They love knowing what your organization and your beneficiaries are facing now, and they love being able to help with a gift!

Sale!

Would you like to start 2019 knowing that your appeals, e-appeals and newsletters are going to work better than they ever have?

Wouldn’t that make you breathe a little easier? Would more money help meet your fundraising goals and enable your organization to do more good?

A team of experts from Better Fundraising can create your appeals, e-appeals and newsletters for you. You’ll free up time to focus on important things that aren’t getting done now, and your fundraising will raise more money. It’s like an “EASY” button for your fundraising communications, and your first month is free – an average savings of $3,500. Wonder if it’s a fit for your organization? Fill out this super-short form and we’ll get in touch!

Your Donors LOVE Helping Your Beneficiaries

Steven Screen  |  Ask
Your Donors LOVE Helping Your Beneficiaries

Here’s a Super Simple Principle that most small nonprofits should embrace to start raising more money right away:

  1. Your donors love to help your beneficiaries
  2. So when fundraising, ask your donor to help your beneficiaries, instead of asking your donor to help your organization.

It really is that simple.

Most organizations say things like “Will you help us continue this good work…” or “Please support our mission to fund the Arts…” or “Please partner with us as we…”

In each of those examples (all real, by the way), the organization is primary, and the beneficiary or cause is secondary.

But the vast majority of your donors care more about your beneficiaries than they care about your organization.

And your organization only adds value to your donor by helping them help the beneficiaries or cause that they care about so much!

So when Asking (appeals, e-appeals, events), ask your donor to help your beneficiary or cause. You’ll start raising more money right away!

PS — For more on how to write Asks that move your donors to Action, download our free e-book!

Two Lessons from Giving Tuesday

Steven Screen  |  Ask
Ask ?

Reason #47 I shouldn’t be in charge: I thought Giving Tuesday was a dumb idea and would never work.

Boy, was I wrong.

But my wrongness is a great reminder of the big lessons that the success of Giving Tuesday teaches all nonprofits that are paying attention.

Lesson #1: the generosity of donors should surprise and delight us

Listen. “Giving Tuesday” is a made-up holiday, during one of the busiest seven-day periods of the year, immediately after donors have spent outrageously – and it is working like crazy.

If that doesn’t make you realize how generous donors are, nothing will.

While at their busiest, donors give. They give sacrificially. They give heroically. Of all the other things they could be doing that day, they give. In droves.

That should be a surprise. It should be a delight.

If I were King For A Day, one of my mandates would be for all Fundraisers to take ten minutes the day after Giving Tuesday to be surprised and delighted at the gifts their donors just gave.

Lesson #2: most nonprofits can Ask their donors for support more often

Ask yourself this question: if your donors will give your gifts on a completely made-up holiday, when won’t they give you gifts?

I’m convinced that Giving Tuesday succeeds – especially with smaller organizations – in part because of pent-up giving.

These organizations have donors who would love to give more. But those donors just aren’t Asked often enough. Or they are usually Asked in ways that hide the real need.

I could go all data-nerd on you, but instead, I’ll just tell a short story. In my 25 years of fundraising, I’ve only seen one organization where the data showed that the organization was Asking their donors too often. And that organization was mailing about 24 appeals and 12 newsletters per year.

Your organization shouldn’t be mailing that many. Or even nearly that many.

But I think the success of Giving Tuesday should teach you that your donors love to give to your organization – and that they will give gifts when you ask them well and you give them good reasons to give!

Looking back, I should have known that Giving Tuesday would work. Because the generosity of donors is a wonderful surprise that we can count on. And because most organizations don’t Ask their donors often enough.

For all you small-to-medium organizations out there: you have pent-up giving among your donors. Go give them powerful reasons to give gifts. They will surprise and delight you!