At the DMA Nonprofit Federation Meetings in DC last week, Tom Gaffny (Exec VP for Fundraising, Epsilon) did a great reality check on nonprofits’ internet new-donor follow-up.
In December 2006, Tom sent $15 donations online to about 65 organizations, then during June ’07 to about 80 more. While quite a few groups had terrific follow-up by email and postal mail … (more…)
The quick fix: The most effective thing I’ve seen — worked for half a dozen organizations — a strong “Thank You” Welcome Kit with a letter that drives completion and return of a Survey.
“We’re so glad to have you with us, and as a supporter and participant, we want you advice on how we set our priorities in the coming year.”
The survey rank orders aspects of your mission. No wrong answers. (more…)
This link came to my attention recently.  Not a lot new, but a lot good in the way of direction for web design, all applicable to nonprofits. Give it a look: Eye-tracking studies.
Difficulties of response processing, list deduping, and mail timing bedevil the best of us … and our donors. A recent example:
I became a first-time donor to Defenders of Wildlife late last November. In December I received what I thought should be an appeal. (When I posted earlier about donor appeals not acknowledging donor status, I had this package in mind.) I’m a donor! But no “thank you” or recognition of my prior relationship with your cause.
A month had passed since my gift so this might have been a less-than ideal housefile mailing. But it also might have been a recruitment package, since I’m a frequent donor to eco-causes. Maybe my DofW “joining” donation had yet to be processed. (more…)
“The only purpose of a carrier envelope is to get opened.”
Who said that? Quite a few people by now, but, while true, not helpful.
We have two kinds of envelopes:
1) Those that adhere to the conventions of personal correspondence. This looks like a letter from a person. Ideally closed-face, but (more…)
After doing and/or seeing scores of tests, and observing responses to several organizations’ over more than a decade, I’ve seen the following configuration as the “best practices” to start any program:
More on each of these in upcoming posts.
Mal Warwick is one of the most experienced and skillful in direct mail fundraising, plus very generous with his knowledge. You’ll find out when you go to my “useful links” sidebar. I scan his site for gems, plus happen to have archives of handouts from his sessions over the years. One page is a keeper, and I quote:
The most powerful words in fundraising: (more…)
Being an American, I was initially surprised by the domination of one theme at the International Fundraising Congress: developing a “Culture of Philanthropy.”
My blindness arises from living and working in what’s actually a very unusual nation, where we take generosity for granted. We gave about $184 billion in 2002. (I’ll post more current info later. I think that’s low and it’s on the rise.) About half to churches, but that still directs about $100 billion to charities, environmental, arts, animal welfare, local, national, international, etc. etc.
At IFC, I had at least a dozen conversations with people who were struggling with trying to create a “culture of philanthropy,” many in countries where the reasons were fairly evident: (more…)
The prior post on Richard Radcliffe’s talk at IFC covered many of his points, but dodged his core message, to my mind:
Satisfaction is cognitive — happiness is emotional.
To move past “donor satisfaction” and create ”donor happiness”, we must …
Get past logic to passion. Tell stories. Find out what makes donors happy and do it!
Happy people (donors) have more self-esteem, sense of control, optimism for the future, and a sense of purpose. All emotional sensibilities, that come from “thank yous” and not from the everpresent threat or outcome statistics.
After I started formulating HAPPYDONORS in 2007, I saw more and more articles on “donor satisfaction” and the varying degrees of appreciation nonprofits show their supporters.
At the 2007 International Fundraising Congress I missed the one session best targeted this topic: “Build relationships with donors? Perhaps you should just aim to make them happy” by Richard Radcliffe FInstF Cert, chairman of Smee and Ford, UK, who challenges: Do your donors feel like Quentin Crisp? … (more…)