Some tips to bring donors closer to the organization and our mission.

by George Gurescu

At the beginning of June we had the National Fundraising Conference. For 18 years, since the Association for Community Relations organizes the event, it has been an opportunity to talk about our job and how we can increase the power of organizations to do good even better. Inevitably, in workshops we get to talk about donors and how we can get them to understand us and stay with us for more than one donation. 

Over the years, organizations have understood that donor trust is not earned in a month, and the big challenge is not the first donation, but how do you get the person to stay with you. We realize how useful it is to talk again about what a long-term relationship with the donor means, how you build it, and how to show that person that they matter to you as an organization. 

To build such a relationship, we need to start positioning donors closer to our mission, to our work. It's what in English is called donor centricity (i.e. translating into Romanian would sound far too technical).  

When we say that we put donors at the center, we think of a mutual relationship, in which we not only receive funds and show them what we have done with donations, but we want to find out how they relate to us and to society, how they can contribute more, how we can show them that they are not alone, that we, as an organization, we also see that their help really matters.

Be constant

Caring for donors (or donor who) starts from the moment you fundraise, not from the one they donate to you, so you must have the same voice when you ask for money, but also when you thank him or tell him about your last activities.  The language you use, the style of writing are elements that donors quickly get used to, and when they find the same style, the degree of familiarity and closeness that they can feel increases. 

Show that you care 

In the communications you have with donors, try to be as curious as possible about their values and emotions. Ask them what are the things that make them angry or that bring them joy. See what words they use in your communications with you and try to use the same language, write to them about your work and ask for their opinion. 

An organization's curiosity will translate into greater openness of donors. It's a testament to the fact that you see them beyond the role of donors. Also, every message or email you send should start from the last communication you made. Think of the donor strategy as a single conversation that gives you the opportunity to go deeper on key topics, and not as multiple conversations where you repeat the same things and introduce yourself again and again.

Show that you know them 

With a good data management system, you can communicate with donors at key moments: one year after the first donation, on their birthday, when their donations reach a certain threshold. Such gestures show that you are attentive, that you appreciate every action they do and that you like to celebrate the relationship you have built. 

Put them first 

Without the help of donors, the mission of the organizations could not be put into practice. We all know this, but many times, communications emphasize "we" (we did, we realized, we arrived), so it replaces – from the very first sentence – "we" with "you" or "you". The more direct addressing is at the beginning, the more you will capture the attention of donors. 

Also, the more and better you tell them about the changes they make, the better they will feel and aim to keep this state.

Through the messages you send, you're going to show the best version of them as people, not just as donors, and you're going to show that they're the support you need, not donations. When we pass the first identity (that of donors) and we refer to them as good, generous people who believe in the same values and show them this detailed portrait, they will feel much better. This happiness will prompt them to stay with the organization.