by Brian Chew
In addition to
reaching out to potential donors, maintaining previous donors is just as
important. As mentioned in the last blog, donors who receive feedback and
results of their donations often continue to donate. The feedback can also be
personalized so that it relates back to the event where they donated or relates
to the first contact point between the donor and organization.
All of this can be done using the right combination of the methods mentioned here, and a couple of easy (and generally free) tools. This helps organizations get more funding to do more, and helps those being served get their voices heard.
The big question that all nonprofits and social
benefit programs ask themselves is, “How do I attract and retain more donors?” The
next question they are asking should be “What type of donors should I invest in
attracting and retaining?”
When it
comes to donations, one specific group of donors can add a lot of support to
nonprofits and charities: social donors. These are donors that usually donate during
or for a social interaction. In general, there are three types of social
donors: event donors, sponsor donors, and occasion/challenge donors. For more
information on what these donors look for, check out the previous Pathfinder
blog, “Voice of the Customer: Why
more non-profits are asking for your feedback.” When it
comes to looking for new social donors to become regular supporters,
organizations should consider taking several actions:
Website
management. As presented in the Social Donor Study by OneCause, one of the key factors in attracting
a donor is ease of making a donation. While social donors are relatively
impartial about donating in-person or online, this means it is critical to have
a website that accepts donations and – better yet – to have a website consistently
managed and promoted for increased donations. Social donors are also looking
for organizations that makes it clear their mission and that they are actually
making a difference. As an organization, it is essential on the front page of
your site and wherever you ask for donations to communicate results and
accomplishments.
Build
a street team. As social donors do not necessarily go
out of their way to search for organizations to donate to, it is the
organization’s job to get their name out there. According to the study, the majority
of donors heard about the donation opportunity through someone they knew.
Taking this into consideration, organizations should look into social
ambassadors that have a lot of connections. Working with other organizations to
create fundraising events is also a great way to reach out to potential donors.
These events are a great way for organizations to send their message out there
and get contact information of potential donors for its
marketing. According to data from the study, over 40% of event donors said
they would donate because the event was enjoyable and inspirational.
Target
marketing. In its marketing efforts, nonprofits and
charities can also look into targeting specific segments. For example, since
only 5% - 6% of social donors are from Generation Z, organizations could look
into targeting this young generation (college age and very recent graduates) as
there is room for improvement as long as the marketing is productive and
structured appropriately for this group (Pathfinder
note, more on this in later blogs). Although obvious, the household income
of donors is also an important metric for marketing segment selection.
All of this can be done using the right combination of the methods mentioned here, and a couple of easy (and generally free) tools. This helps organizations get more funding to do more, and helps those being served get their voices heard.