Nonprofit Managment and Donor Experience Tips and Techniques

Lapsed Donors: How do we get them back?

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Bridget L. Brandt

Last week Sage Nonprofit Solution released their first donor loyalty study of which I had an opportunity to participate in.

First things first: One of my most shocking revelations from the study was that only 29% of nonprofits have a lapsed donor program. That mistake presents a huge opportunity for others.

If you are one of those organizations that does not want someone to come in and take your lapsed donors, here are a few ideas.

Plan: It is important that the efforts expended on your donor recapture program result in revenue for the program. Make sure you have a clear goal for the program and identify exactly how much is needed to create a positive ROI for the program. If your program isn’t producing revenue then invest your time in something else.

Identify: Who should you target? Past donors that were true givers (above $20-more than one gift), strong volunteers, or well-known supporters are great targets. Don’t leave anyone out of your email ask, but make sure you select the most likely candidates for recapture for any direct mail programs.

What: Communicate your message with your lapsed donors clearly and specifically. Share with them:

what you have been doing.
the impact your programs are having on the community.
the results of your program.
what is going to happen if your program goes away.

DON’T call lapsed donors LAPSED or ask them to come back…DO give them a reason to come back!!!

How: After assessing whom you will contact and what you will say, you will need to determine how you plan to communicate with him/her. Set up a monthly program that includes email, direct mail, and phone calls. You never know what the trigger for giving again will be or when it will come. In the early stages of the program, it is critical that you test. Test which variable has the strongest response, test the message that you are sending, and test the frequency of the messages themselves. Make adjustments often and continue to evaluate the program.

Success: When you successfully recapture a donor, be sure to send a hand-written thank-you note. I also recommend that following the first gift, you send a very short survey asking how you can improve. It might reveal why he/she left in the first place. It will allow you to improve for others and avoid the same mistakes of the past.

Take-away: Recapturing a donor is time-consuming and difficult. Invest in a strong program that makes your recapture program less critical, but keep in mind that saving a donor is less expensive than recruiting a new one.

Good Luck with your lapsed donor program!

Donor Loyalty Study, 2013

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Bridget L. Brandt

The 2013 Sage Insights Survey on Donor Loyalty is now available. The study conducted by Sage Nonprofit Solutions has some very interesting findings that are sure to bring value to any nonprofit organization.Having had the pleasure of being a contributor to the study I was overwhelmed by the number of participants. Loyalty continues to be a key theme for nonprofits and a driving force for development professionals.

Ironically, the study found that 67% of the people surveyed are not surveying their own donors. I find it hard to believe that organizations, especially growing ones can reach their full potential without asking how they can get better and what they are doing well. For me, surveying is always the thing I recommend an organization start with. Donor/member feedback, should serve as your guiding light.

I was delighted to find that hand written thank-you notes reigned as the king of loyalty. I have said it before and I will say it again, the value of a hand written thank-you cannot be over exaggerated.

The study goes on to share examples of what organizations are and aren’t doing today to ensure loyalty, and for those of you that were wondering, the most utilized give-away was none other than the classic pen. My guess is the low-cost and practicality make it the big winner.

In reviewing the study, I was most shocked to find 29% of nonprofits are doing nothing when a donor lapses. This is good and bad news. Great news for those of us looking for new donors and bad news for those of us failing to follow-up.

Overall, the study reveals numerous interesting facts and ideas for how your organization can insure that loyalty is a driving force.

Take-away: Check out the full survey, and see what your organization can do to improve loyalty.

Industry Standard Email Rates

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Bridget L. Brandt

I often get this question: How do we know if our email program is good or bad?

The answer varies for everyone, but Eloqua’s Benchmark study is a great place to start. They recently compared their benchmark data from Jan.-Nov. in an effort to provide you with some guides for click rates, open rates, and click to open rates. The results can be seen here, and they even separated Nonprofit out.

Take-away: Check your rates and see how you stack up against the Best in Class.

My Favorite Quotes from Philanthropy Day

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Bridget L. Brandt

National Philanthropy Day was first established in 1986. The celebration is dedicated to those who give tier time, talents, and treasure for the betterment of society.

Today, I had the pleasure of attending the Austin Chapter of AFP’s celebration. I was moved by the speeches and touched by the amazing work that is happening in our community.

I think that you may agree the people below are simply outstanding. Here are my favorite quotes from the day:

Outstanding Small Philanthropic Corporation- Fleming’s

Award winner, Darryl Wittle provided a great tip, “Ask people to provide what they are good at and what they do.” And, he closed his speech with some great advice, “always strive to represent something bigger than yourself.”

Outstanding Large Philanthropic Corporation- HEB

Did you know that HEB has been giving back to the communities they serve for 107 years. Giving back was a part of what they did in the very beginning. I think that is amazing. Thank you HEB for that and your amazing motto, “Each and Every Person Counts.”

Outstanding Fundraising Professional

Brett Barnes is the Development Director of Lifeworks, a favorite customer of ours. His speech today was charming, funny, and kind all at the same time. His Mom’s advice to him, “Leave the world a better place than when you entered it.” I <3 that!

Outstanding Philanthropists

Jeannie and Mickey Klein were grateful when accepting the award today for their generosity. Mickey borrowed from the late Darryl Royal when saying, “I don’t deserve this, but I don’t deserve arthritis either.” While Jeannie reminded everyone that the secret to life may just be found in giving back. “The more you make {giving} a basic part of your life, the more you find the joy, meaning, and satisfaction in living.”

Outstanding Philanthropic Youth

My favorite award of the day, the philanthropic youth award! I am always amazed and touched by what these winners have done. The winner this year started giving back at 13, and as a high school student today, he has founded and runs an insanely successful nonprofit. His speech, love for his mother, and respect for his educators was remarkable. I can’t wait to see who Brody Roush becomes…maybe President of this great country.

Take-away: I am in awe of the amazing work being conducted by these amazing people. I hope you enjoy this amazing day and find inspiration to keep doing what you do. Thank you!

“A small group of committed citizens can change the world, in fact it is the only thing that ever has.”

10 Things Every Organization Should Do to Enhance Donor Loyalty

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Bridget L. Brandt

As published in: http://www.fundraisingsuccessmag.com/article/10-things-every-organization-should-do-enhance-donor-loyalty/2

Developing a solid donor base is not something that happens overnight. It takes time to cultivate a database of constituents who support your mission time and time again, and recommend your organization to others. Many factors are at play in the development of true loyalty, engagement and trust. How your organization utilizes its resources, the impact of your programs and your ability to communicate effectively with donors all factor into the equation and can significantly impact your organization’s ability to earn lasting loyalty.

With the goal of providing you proven, effective methods of increasing donor loyalty, I asked a sample of development professionals for their ideas on this topic. I received dozens of great responses, so thank you to those who provided feedback.

Building an effective program takes time and effort. Here are a few ideas to help you foster the one thing we all desire most, retention.

1. Listen to your donors
Find out what will compel them to further help you achieve your mission. Ask for their advice, and put it to practice.

2. Share your good news
Communication is key to building any relationship, and nonprofit relationships are no different. Think about newsletters, e-mails and face-to-face visits to keep the flow of information open.

3. Measure your success
“In general, donors like to receive regular, measurable and concrete feedback about how their money makes a difference,” says Ursula Pfahl, vice president of business development at Bigham Jewelers Opens in a new window , who worked with CMON — The Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples. By sharing the impact in real measures, you solidify the good work you are doing.

4. Survey your donors
When Courtney Polster, fund development manager at Agrace HospiceCare Opens in a new window , started surveying her donors, she discovered that a high percentage were utilizing planned-giving vehicles to support a charity — but she was surprised to see how few said hers was their charity of choice for this option. This revelation led to further research. “Quality initiatives like these are helping build a stewardship and recognition program as well as a planned-giving program,” Polster says. “It has been most beneficial!”

5. Leverage donor loyalty
Use your board members to make calls and write thank-you notes. The power of appreciation from a strong board member can go a long way in building loyalty.

6. Involve donor in the cause
By regularly inviting donors to come and see their donations in action, Keith Greer, fundraising and membership coordinator at Popejoy Hall, Opens in a new window has changed the way donors view his organization and increased retention rates by 14 percent and the average donation size by $500. According to Greer, many of Popejoy Hall’s donors always shared the great work of the organization, but with stronger collaboration he has seen a shift in the way donors began talking to their friends after participating in the mission. Now it’s, “Look at what I’m doing to help.” In addition, today he has excited donors asking how they can do more. Greer says that the firsthand experience has “been more powerful for loyalty, engagement and increasing giving than any communication piece we have ever done.”

7. Get social
Create connections in the social networks where your donors spend their time. Connecting socially is very powerful.

According to the 2012 Sage Nonprofit Insights study Opens in a new window , 84 percent of nonprofits are in social networks, with Facebook topping the charts. Surprisingly, 69 percent of participants say their organizations are not blogging. Blogging is a great way to keep donors up to date on the status of the organization. Additionally, through social sharing in tools like Facebook and Twitter Opens in a new window , nonprofits can further engage donors and volunteers with those same updates.

8. Customize your approach
“Bottom line: Loyalty comes when we show folks we know them. This means we have to really listen to them. There’s no cookie-cutter approach, as donor preferences vary. We have to be sensitive to our donors’ particular styles, then give them what they want,” says marketing and fundraising consultant Claire Axelrad Opens in a new window .

9. Recognize repeat donors
“Whether your organization is new or has been around for years, you can recognize continuous yearly donors in your annual report. Give recognition to donors who have supported you (at a set level) for three years, five years, 10 years — break it down however it works for you — but with recognition, if they have to drop a nonprofit one year, hopefully it won’t be yours!” says CFRE Debbie Joyner.

10. Say thank you
“One easy element is thanking donors for every gift either with a phone call or personalized e-mail. When dealing with loyal donors, I am always sure to mention how long they have been giving and let them know how much their continued support is appreciated. Most donors haven’t thought about how long they have been giving, and I think these small gestures have deepened donor relations with a pretty small investment of my time and our long-distance bill,” says Daniel Blakemore, assistant director for individual giving at International House, New York Opens in a new window .

Take-away: Loyalty, retention and engagement seem to be harder to come by these days — probably because we all seem to be running the race faster and faster. True loyalty takes time, effort and commitment to yield fundraising success, but the return is happier donors with a strong commitment to your organization.

Building a Better Brand

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Bridget L. Brandt

Building a strong brand is probably one of the least invested in, most valuable activities a nonprofit can undertake.

Building a Better Brand from Bridget Brandt

Branding plays an important role in your nonprofit. Your brand is your personality. The presentation above was designed to be a how to guide for nonprofits that are seeking a stronger brand.

Want to Build a Better Brand?

Step 1: Analyze

Consider strategic issues the brand faces, growth potential, barriers and challenges. What can your team do to get ahead of these issues, capitalize on them, and grow as a result of them?

Step 2: Plan

Take a look at what you do, who you are, and who you want to be.

Step 3: Define

What are your brand features, benefits, personality, and essence?

Step 4: Educate

After you define who you are and make a plan for what you want your brand to be, you must share it. Create a plan on a page. Share it with volunteers, staff, and board members. It is important to be able to clearly articulate who you are and more important for others to be able to articulate who you are.

Step 5: Execute

Define what you are going to do, who is responsible for doing it, and who the project owner is. Write it down and hold meetings to keep everyone accountable. A strong brand is only as strong as those executing it.

Step 6: Evaluate

Are your brand efforts working? It’s ok if they aren’t, but it is not ok if you don’t know. Measure your likelihood to recommend every six months to make sure you are making headway. Other metrics to look at include web hits, social mentions, and referrals if applicable.

Take-away: Google returns 346,000,000 hits on brand building. It is a big topic with a lot of advice, suggestions, and how-to’s; think about your organization and work through your brand one step at a time. If you are ready for a big change, I recommend working through the presentation to help you decide what you are solving for. Then seek assistance if this is not an area of strength in your organization. After all, your brand is what makes you different from everyone else, you should invest time and effort in “Building a Better Brand.”

Food Truck for City Hall

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Bridget L. Brandt

Mobile City Hall

“In Boston, the mobile business craze is getting a civic twist with the city’s new “City Hall To Go” truck, a slick new motorized municipal office with a “menu” of common public services”, writes author Andrew Price of Fast Company. He goes on to mention, “Residents can visit the truck to get a dog license, dispute a parking ticket, register to vote, and even get a birth certificate. Or they can just drop by to ask a question or register a complaint. The idea is to give residents face-to-face contact with their government without requiring them to trek to some central office. That means it could be especially useful for people who work long hours, have mobility issues, or live on the unconnected side of the digital divide.”

Take away: With the new year it is a great time for nonprofits and governments alike to try something new. Why not try something like this? Whether in a food truck, booths at local events, or in places that are commonly visited attempting to bring your mission to where the people are can’t be a bad idea. Way to go Boston!

Credit: Andrew Price writes about the future of the planet, among other things, for The Atlantic, Fast Company, and GOOD

Should I be investing time in Facebook for my nonprofit?

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Bridget L. Brandt

What is Facebook today?

Today Facebook is a controlled way for people to connect with existing friends. Most users simply use Facebook to engage with people they already know. Facebook is a relationship tool, it is not an advertising platform (today anyway). So if you are in the nonprofit space it is a great tool for you to use to spend time building connections and relationships.

So should you be investing time and effort in Facebook?

To truly determine how much time, if any, to invest in Facebook, you will need to know your donors/constituents. Do they use Facebook? How often? Do they use another social network more often? Has your nonprofit seen any benefits from being on Facebook? Look at your marketing strategy to see if your time and resources could be spent more effectively somewhere else.

To determine what your organization should do, you will need to determine what your goals are. Do you want to build Facebook as a primary engagement tool or do you just want people to be able to find you if they look?

If you decide that your organization can benefit from Facebook, the following are some keys to making your efforts more efficient:

If you decide to invest in Facebook also invest in a measurement tool. I recommend Sprout Social because it is easy to use and affordable.
Using your measurement tool, determine what information your donors love to see, read, and share! For us, people love to hear about anniversaries. The tool is truly about relationships, and that shows in our results.
Make it worth the visit; reward people for visiting your Facebook page. This will make them want to visit more often.
Make certain resources only available on Facebook to encourage users to keep an eye on you. For nonprofits, think about a special event for Facebook friends only.
Pictures, videos and articles are highly popular on Facebook. If possible, make sure every update includes an image or video. Be sure and upload pictures during events and following events. At your event make sure you announce that the photos taken will be on your Facebook page following the event. Check out the Color Me Rad page for a great example.
Do not post every day. As a small nonprofit, you may only need to post once or twice a week. Quality or quantity is the rule for sure.
Post when people are on Facebook. According to the Huffington Post, the best times to post are weekends by far, followed by evenings and early mornings.
Use the Promote button for your most important posts to push them to the top of the news feed. This does cost money, with the exact rate depending on your geographic location and how many users you wish to reach, but it can be worth it for advertising posts.

Take-away: For those nonprofits in the business of building relationships, Facebook is a great way to truly build engagement.

This post was modified from the original post for the nonprofit audience: http://smartblogs.com/social-media/2013/01/03/how-much-time-should-your-business-invest-facebook/

Donor Experience 101